Ancient capital stolen from guarded site

• Category: News
How could a capital be stolen from a guarded and so important archaeological site like Olympia? How is it possible that an ancient ruin of 30 kilos weight be transfered out of the archaeological site without being perceived by any guard? Indeed, last week, a capital (that is the top of an ancient column) was stolen from the paleochristian basilica inside the archaeological site of Olympia and nobody witnessed anything! The capital with dimensions 30X30X20 was placed inside the basilica built on the site of the workshop of Phedias, the famous sculptor. This basilica was constructed in 435-451 AD and it is the oldest basilica in western Peloponnese. This unfortunate incident raises the matter of unsufficient guarding of the ancient sites, while others think that the theft is related to the evaluation of the archaeologists that will be deposited in the next days. In any case, this is an important and worrying incident that raises a lot of questions about the Greek ancient heritage and its protection.