Ancient Roman gravestone found in New Orleans back yard returned to Italy
A nearly 2,000-year-old Roman grave marker discovered in a New Orleans backyard has been returned to Italy. The artifact, dedicated to a second-century Roman sailor named Sextus Congenius Verus, was handed over by the FBI during a repatriation ceremony in Rome. It had been missing from a museum in Civitavecchia since the museum's collection was largely lost after World War II.
- ▪The marble epitaph dates back approximately 1,900 years and was found in the yard of a historic home in New Orleans.
- ▪Experts identified the stone as belonging to Sextus Congenius Verus, a Roman sailor and military figure from the second century.
- ▪The artifact matched a piece reported missing from the Civitavecchia city museum, which lost most of its collection after being destroyed during World War II.
- ▪Erin Scott O'Brien revealed the stone had been kept by her grandfather, Charles Paddock Jr, a US soldier who served in Italy and later lived in New Orleans.
- ▪The repatriation occurred under the US-Italy Cultural Property Agreement, the oldest bilateral cultural agreement between the US and a European country.
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The ancient Roman grave marker found by a New Orleans couple in the yard of their home. Photograph: Courtesy D Ryan Gray and Preservation Resource Center of New OrleansView image in fullscreenThe ancient Roman grave marker found by a New Orleans couple in the yard of their home. Photograph: Courtesy D Ryan Gray and Preservation Resource Center of New OrleansArchaeologyAncient Roman gravestone found in New Orleans back yard returned to ItalyNearly 2,000-year-old artifact handed over by FBI matches piece missing from museum near Rome for decadesMaya YangFri 1 May 2026 16.11 EDTLast modified on Fri 1 May 2026 16.13 EDTSharePrefer the Guardian on GoogleA nearly 2,000-year-old Roman grave marker discovered in a New Orleans backyard has now been returned to Italy.The marble epitaph – dating…
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