
Stolen during WWII, an erotic Roman mosaic returns home
Andrew Paul
created: July 16, 2025, 7:37 p.m. | updated: July 26, 2025, 7:39 p.m.
A steamy piece of stolen history has finally returned to Italy, decades after its initial disappearance.
According to the Archaeological Park of Pompeii, national authorities and military officials spent the past two years working towards repatriating an erotic travertine tile mosaic with ancient Roman origins.
Credit: Pompeii Archaeological ParkSome of the mosaic’s details—such as identities of its previous owner and the Wehrmacht captain—were not made available during its unveiling event on July 15.
After further collaborations with researchers at the Archaeological Park of Pompeii, experts now believe the artwork potentially came from a region near Mount Vesuvius.
“Every looted artifact that returns is a wound that heals,” Zuchtriegel said in a statement.
1 week, 3 days ago: Popular Science