Bronze Age treasure stolen in a four-minute raid at Spanish museum

Most of the Treasure of Villena, a collection of Bronze Age artefacts dating to about 1000BC, was stolen during a raid that lasted roughly four minutes at the Villena Museum in southeastern Spain, according to The Guardian and local officials cited in its report. The museum alarm activated at about 5.20am on Thursday. By 5.24am, the thieves had left the building, a town council spokesperson said. The group reportedly arrived in several vehicles and entered through a window, according to Manuel Pineda, the Spanish government’s deputy representative in Alicante. The collection contains 66 objects, including 29 bracelets, 11 bowls and three bottles. Local media reported that the items left behind included three silver vessels, a bracelet and parts of the “Kingfisher staff,” a prehistoric ceremonial scepter. The mayor of Villena, Fulgencio Cerdán, said that most of the treasure had been taken and described the loss as devastating to the town. The hoard was discovered in 1963 by archaeologist José María Soler in a vessel buried in a dried-out riverbed. It became the main attraction of a local museum and has been displayed in a specially designated room at the municipally owned Villena Museum since May 2024. Although the collection’s overall value was described as incalculable, Cerdán estimated that the gold alone was worth about €1.7 million. The objects are also notable for their varied materials. Alongside gold, the hoard includes pieces made from silver, iron, amber and a dark leaden substance covered with a ferrous-looking oxide. A recent study in the journal Trabajos de Prehistoria argued that some of the objects were probably made from rare meteoritic iron. That finding adds scientific interest to a collection already regarded as one of Europe’s most important prehistoric treasures. Officials said all the museum’s security systems were activated and insisted there had been no security failure. Investigators were examining whether an alarm at the city’s sports centre shortly before the theft had been set off as a possible diversion. Archaeology professor Mauro Hernández told Cadena SER that the raid appeared to have been planned in advance, based on how quickly the thieves entered, removed the objects and escaped.