Treasure of Benghazi' Including 7,000 Ancient Coins Looted During Libyan Uprising
Treasure of Benghazi' Including 7,000 Ancient Coins Looted During Libyan Uprising
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General Consensus
There seems to be different information in every article, so I thought I would reference them all. But the general consensus is that this may be the biggest theft in archaeological history
Libya Robbers Loot Priceless Treasure Benghazi
A gang of Libyan looters have raided a priceless collection of gold and silver coins that are believed to date back to the time of Alexander the Great.
The thieves carried off the pieces, known as The Treasure of Benghazi, having drilled through a concrete ceiling at the National Commercial Bank of Benghazi.
An expert has described the raid as 'one of the greatest thefts in archeological history.'
Read more: At The Daily Mail
Hunt is on for treasures looted in Libyan uprising
BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - Pieces from a huge collection of priceless ancient coins, jewelery and statuettes, looted from a bank vault in eastern Libya in the chaos of the rebellion against Muammar Gaddafi, have appeared in the local souk and are being taken abroad.
The cache of some 8,000 pieces were taken by thieves who chiseled into a concrete bank vault in Benghazi in the early days of revolutionary tumult after fire spread from an adjacent headquarters of the feared secret police.
Residents of the seaside neighborhood say the bank was invaded by looters in February, when Benghazi rose up against Gaddafi's rule and triggered a revolt that spread nationwide.
Crowds stormed official buildings to free political prisoners, and some residents said a prison break nearby could have allowed hardened criminals to set upon the bank.
Ash and broken glass litter the Ottoman atrium of the building, the main branch of Libya's commercial bank. Its underground vaults remain open in eerie darkness, some holding neatly stacked records of transactions with Western financial houses.
"It's a disaster," said Yussuf ben Nasr, director of antiquities for the city, built on a site originally named Euesperides when founded by ancient Greeks in the 6th century B.C.
Read More Yahoo News/Reuters
Treasure of Benghazi' looted during Libyan uprising
Benghazi, Oct 31 (ANI): A priceless collection of ancient gold, silver and bronze coins was stolen by robbers in the Libyan city of Benghazi earlier this year.
Robbers ransacked an underground bank vault undetected amid the chaos as Libyan rebels battled Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's troops, the Sun reports.
The thieves took away 7,700 gold, silver and bronze coins, each more than 2,000 years old.
According to the report, a single similar coin was recently sold for 268,000 pounds.
The thieves also escaped with medallions, bracelets, anklets, necklaces, earrings, rings and armbands along with 50 bronze and ivory figurines plus a small collection of precious stones.
The disappearance of the hoard, known as the Treasure of Benghazi, is "one of the greatest thefts in archaeological history". (ANI)
Priceless Libyan Treasure, Including 7,000 Ancient Coins, Plundered In Benghazi During Uprising
A priceless collection of more than 7,000 ancient coins and other irreplaceable artifacts have been found missing from a bank vault in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi.
The theft of the treasures, many of which date from the time of Alexander the Great, is one of the biggest heists in archaeological history, according to United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO.
The ancient treasures were plundered during the Libyan uprising - but the details have only begun to emerge this week.
The National Transitional Council is believed to have kept the entire incident quiet until recently for fear of tarnishing their image while they were battling Colonel Gaddafi's regime. Now they have announced that some of the coins, known as the Treasure of Benghazi, may have been found in Egypt.
Details emerged last week at a conference held by Unesco, in Paris. At the time, a fire at the bank was blamed as part of the fighting. Now it looks more likely that the fire was part of an elaborate planned robbery.
Read More Huffington Post UK
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