In an apartment in Manhattan, a priceless ancient Roman artifact was used as a coffee table.

An ancient Roman artifact 2000 years old was suddenly discovered after being used as a coffee table in a Manhattan apartment for nearly 50 years, reports Independent.

The priceless Roman mosaic dates back to the time of the emperor Caligula, who ruled the now fallen empire from 37 AD until his assassination in 41 AD.

The find became the theme of the CBS show "60 Minutes». Italian marble expert Dario del Buffalo explained, how he accidentally found a rare artifact.

In 2013, Del Bufalo held a meeting with readers of his book Porphyry, which details the volcanic purple-red stone that Roman emperors used for their art and architecture. There he met a couple who recognized the mosaic pattern printed on cover.

“A woman came up to the table with a young guy in a strange hat,” Del Buffalo said. “And he said to her:“ What a beautiful book. Oh Helen, look, this is your mosaic. And she replied: "Yes, this is my mosaic."

Del Bufalo finished his autograph session and started asking the couple about the mosaic. He was told that the artifact was used as a cover. coffee table in the couple's apartment on Park Avenue.

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Prior to this, the ancient artifact was considered lost. It was originally used as a floor tile on a ship that sank in the Italian Lake Nemi in ancient times. The ship was raised to the surface in the 1930s. The rest of the mosaics from it were kept in a museum on the shore of the lake. In 1944, the Nazis infiltrated Italy and used the museum as a bomb shelter. They burned it and its contents as they retreated.

Innocent purchase

The artifact that turned into a coffee table was owned by Helen Fioratti, an art dealer. Helen owns a gallery of European antiques and lives in Manhattan. In 2017, she told the New York Times that she and her husband, journalist Nereo Fioratti, bought the piece from an Italian noble family in the 1960s. And they had no reason to suspect that the sellers were not the rightful owners of the mosaic.

Fioratti took the ancient artifact home to their Park Avenue apartment, attached a mosaic to the legs to turn it into a coffee table.

“It was an innocent purchase,” Fioratti said in an interview. in 2017. "It was our favorite thing and we have had it for 45 years."

However, Manhattan District Attorneys say the evidence points to the mosaic stolen from the Nemi Museum. It was subsequently seized from the couple in September 2017 and returned to the Italian government.

Del Buffalo said on 60 Minutes that he sympathizes with Fioratti.

“I felt very sorry for her, but I couldn’t do anything else, knowing that my museum in Nemi was missing the best that had gone through centuries, through war, through fire, and then through an Italian art dealer. The artifact was finally able to return to the museum, ”he said. "This is the only thing I felt, I had to do it."

After cleaning, the mosaic was exhibited at the Nemi Museum of Roman Ships in March this year.

In the meantime, Del Bufalo has created a replica of the mosaic. He said he wanted to make a copy for Fioratti and return the mosaic to her apartment. He gave this explanation: "I think my soul will feel a little better."