FBI Returns Ancient Roman Gravestone Found in New Orleans to Italy
A nearly 2,000-year-old Roman grave marker discovered in a New Orleans backyard has been returned to Italy. The marble epitaph, dating back roughly 1,900 years, was officially handed over to Italian officials in Rome during a ceremony led by the FBI. The artifact was first discovered by Tulane University anthropologist Danielle Santoro and her husband while clearing their yard. Concerns about a potential unmarked burial site led to further investigation, revealing the stone as a grave marker for Sextus Congenius Verus, a Roman sailor and military figure. The artifact matched records of a piece missing from a museum near Rome, which had been largely destroyed during World War II. The FBI's Art Crime Team facilitated the return under the US-Italy Cultural Property Agreement, which aims to protect Italian antiquities and disrupt criminal financing. 
