An astonishing collection of Etruscan artifacts was discovered by tomb raiders in Italy (photos included).

In Italy, police successfully apprehended grave robbers who had excavated and attempted to sell a collection of Etruscan artifacts. They had been hunting for these offenders for nine years. The items, dating back to the third century BC, were stolen from a necropolis in Umbria. Among the archaeological finds were sarcophagi, burial urns, and personal belongings of representatives of Etruscan culture.

The Italian Ministry of Culture has already declared the discovery extremely significant, noting that the items are in perfect condition and possess exceptional historical and artistic value. The estimated worth of the collection is almost $8.5 million.

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In total, the collection consisted of eight decorated stone urns, two sarcophagi, mirrors, combs, and perfume vials. It is believed that all the items belonged to the Pulphna family – a wealthy and influential Etruscan lineage. They had been sought since 2015, when an underground tomb was discovered right in the middle of a field. Some artifacts were illegally excavated and were being secretly sold. The criminals were caught when one of them posted a photo of part of an artifact on the social network Facebook.

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The discovered urns, made from white Umbrian travertine, feature depictions of Greek myths, battles, and hunting scenes, with some showing traces of polychrome pigments and gold leaf. One sarcophagus contained a complete skeleton of a woman, believed to have been around 40 years old at the time of her death.

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Among the found items were bronze vessels that were used at banquets, still containing ancient balms, and a bronze mirror engraved with the image of Rome and its iconic she-wolf. Scholars are studying these artifacts and plan to exhibit them to the public in the future.

Previously, "Telegraph" reported on the thinnest spaghetti created by scientists. This nanometer-thin product is meant not for consumption but for use in medicine.