What began as a simple yard chore turned into an archaeological mystery when a New Orleans couple lifted a gray stone slab from a muddy corner of their backyard last spring. The slab, etched with Latin text, turned out not to be paving material ? but a 1,900-year-old Roman gravestone.
Experts translated the inscription, which honored a sailor who served 22 years aboard the trireme Asclepius and died at age 42. But how did a Roman artifact end up behind a Louisiana home?
Records from Italy’s National Archaeological Museum of Civitavecchia, near Rome, offered a clue. The gravestone matched an item reported missing after the museum fell victim to World War II bombings, which scattered much of its collection.
The house’s previous resident, Erin Scott O’Brien, unraveled the mystery further when she recognized the stone from old family photos. It is believed her grandfather, Master Sgt. Charles E. Paddock, who served in Italy during the war, brought the gravestone home as a keepsake. Decades later, it was placed in the backyard and forgotten.
Current homeowner Daniella Santoro and her research team turned the artifact over to the FBI’s Art Crime Team, which will repatriate it to Civitavecchia. How the Paddocks originally acquired the stone remains uncertain, but O’Brien said she is relieved it’s being returned.
“It’s amazing,” she told Preservation in Print. “It’s wonderful that it’s going back to where it belongs.”
May For The Teen Times teen/1761788914/1613367697
1. What unusual event happened when a couple in New Orleans began working in their backyard?
2. How did Erin Scott O’Brien respond emotionally to the discovery and the decision to return the artifact?
3. Why did the current homeowners, Daniella Santoro and her team, decide to contact the FBI’s Art Crime Team?
4. What actions will be taken to ensure the gravestone is properly repatriated to Italy?
1. If you discovered an ancient relic in your yard, what steps would you take to handle it responsibly?
2. Do you think people should be allowed to keep artifacts with personal or family connections, even if they belong to another country?
3. What ethical issues arise when war leads to the displacement, looting, or destruction of cultural treasures that represent a nation’s history and identity?
4. How does returning the gravestone to Italy show respect for history and heritage?
What began as a simple yard chore turned into an archaeological mystery when a New Orleans couple lifted a gray stone slab from a muddy corner of their backyard last spring. The slab, etched with Latin text, turned out not to be paving material ? but a 1,900-year-old Roman gravestone.
The house’s previous resident, Erin Scott O’Brien, unraveled the mystery further when she recognized the stone from old family photos. It is believed her grandfather, Master Sgt. Charles E. Paddock, who served in Italy during the war, brought the gravestone home as a keepsake. Decades later, it was placed in the backyard and forgotten.
