In a shocking overnight robbery, thieves used explosives to steal several priceless archaeological masterpieces from the Drents Museum in Assen, Netherlands, including an ancient golden helmet and three royal bracelets originating from Romania. 

Copyright: Drents Museum

In the early hours of January 25, 2025, the suspects forced entry into the museum using explosives around 3:45 AM. Among the stolen items were three royal Dacian bracelets, as well as the legendary Coțofenești helmet, dating back to approximately 450 BC. The artifacts were part of the museum’s special exhibition Dacia – Empire of Gold and Silver.

The Coțofenești helmet, holds great historical significance, features unique decorations depicting various ancient Greek and Eurasian influences. Its serendipitous finding is the stuff of films – it was originally discovered by children after a rainstorm in 1927. The stolen bracelets are part of a rare collection of 24 pieces originally found in sacrificial pits at Sarmizegetusa Regia, the ancient Dacian capital. These golden artifacts were never worn but were instead placed directly into the royal treasury as offerings.

“This is a dark day for the Drents Museum in Assen and the National History Museum of Romania in Bucharest,” said Harry Tupan, General Director of the Drents Museum. “In its 170-year existence, there has never been such a major incident. We are intensely shocked by the events.”

Police investigators have identified a potential lead in the case. Approximately 30 minutes after the museum break-in, at 4:15 AM, authorities received reports of a car fire which they believe may be connected to the heist, suggesting the perpetrators might have switched to another vehicle in that area. Marco Out, Mayor of Assen, confirmed that several ministries, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, are involved in the investigation already underway. The forensic teams on site and CCTV footage are being reviewed. In addition, Interpol has been brought in to assist with the international investigation. While multiple suspects are believed to be involved, no arrests have yet been made.

Copyright: Drents Museum

The museum sustained damage from the explosion but reported no injuries. It will remain closed until January 31 for investigation, restoration work, and preparation for a new exhibition.

Sadly, this is not the first time that Dacia’s riches have been pillaged. National Geographic wrote a spread in 2015 that detailed the decades-long campaign to recover and return the items to their home country – Romania. It states that in the 1990s, thieves bought timber-clearing permits from corrupt officials as a cover, then used metal detectors to search the Dacian capital of Sarmizegetusa Regia. The thieves allegedly worked undisturbed, many using timber-clearing permits from corrupt officials as a cover for their plundering. Due of the widespread looting, Sarmizegetusa’s stolen gold was nearly lost. Recovering it is said to have involved European and U.S. authorities and a decade of dogged sleuthing by Romanian prosecutors and museum curators. The full extent of the looting became clear years later when some of the illegal excavators were arrested and confessed to police. 

However, National Geographic says it took years to track down the gold. It is no surprise that the bracelets, and thousands of crudely minted silver and gold coins found with them, apparently began surfacing on the international market almost immediately after they were plundered, offered to collectors privately and at auctions in New York, Paris, and Zurich. The biggest break came in 2001 when a Romanian man with two mysterious gold spiral bracelets reportedly contacted archaeologist Barbara Deppert-Lippitz. Dr. Deppert Lippitz is an independent expert of ancient gold licensed to assess antiquities by the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Frankfurt, Germany. 

After meeting with the man, Dr. Deppert-Lippitz is said to have notified prosecutors and museum officials in Romania. Over the next five years, the archaeologist allegedly brokered a series of deals that allowed the Romanian government to buy back the bracelets from owners in Europe. Part of the arrangement led to the discovery of the sellers’ identities, which, in turn, helped authorities build legal cases against the looters. In addition, many of the looted coins were reportedly recovered by the FBI in the United States and were also bought back by the Romanian government.

In the end, a number of looters were convicted in Romanian courts and ordered to repay close to a million dollars in damages, per NatGeo.

Copyright: Leila A. Amineddoleh

However, the looting of Dacia dates back nearly two thousand years, as commemorated in one of Rome’s most famous monuments. Trajan’s Column recounts the victory of Roman domination and plunder of Dacia. Emperor Trajan’s war campaigns against Dacia benefited the Roman Empire’s finances through the acquisition of gold mines. The  rich victory has been commemorated by the construction of the Trajan Column, which depicts the Dacian Wars’ most important moments in stone carvings.

Dacia, centered in what is now modern-day Romania, was a prosperous nation tracing its roots to the 7th century B.C., as a conglomeration of ethnic groups. The nation, a well-organized society with a strong army and strongly fortified cities, posed a danger to Rome. Eventually, the nations entered into a conflict beginning in 85 A.D. The conflict continued and escalated into two campaigns led by Emperor Trajan, the Dacian Wars of 101-102 AD and 105-106 AD. Trajan defeated the Dacian army, obliterated its culture, incorporated the nation into the Roman Empire, and returned to Rome with a vast treasure. 

One of the few Dacian cultural items that remain today are its golden bracelets. Since there are few remnants of this culture, the bracelets are precious symbols of the lost society.  The oldest Dacian bracelets discovered date to the 3rd and 4th centuries B.C. They were constructed of gold mined from the Carpathian Mountains using techniques that are a marvel to archaeologist, considering the technology of that time.  Historians believe these bracelets belonged to royalty and were used for Dacian rituals since they were richly made of 24k gold. The discovery of the Dacian bracelets confirms the fact that the nation was rich in gold, and that that the Romans were motivated to conquer Dacia because of its wealth of precious metal deposits.  Unfortunately, these rare remnants of a defeated nation are still being looted. As discussed above, some of these remaining pieces were stolen from Romania in the late 1990s and early 2000s. And now, thieves again stole Dacian gold– this time in an explosive robbery.