Trouble in Flavia Solva

“Brazen”: robbers strike at excavation site

The perpetrators left 22 holes in the excavation field - and probably also stole some of the items.

(Bild: UMJ/Schwartz)

In Flavia Solva, Styria, where important Roman finds were made, unknown perpetrators have left 22 holes in a scientific excavation field. They have not only destroyed a monument: according to Barbara Porod from the Universalmuseum Joanneum, historical finds may also have been stolen.

A teaching excavation by the University of Graz, which is being carried out by the Universalmuseum Joanneum, has been underway at the site in Flavia Solva (municipality of Wagna) since July 9th. At around 3 p.m. on Thursday, the ten or so people involved in the research left the listed excavation site. When they wanted to continue digging again at around 6.30 a.m. on Friday, they discovered the almost two dozen holes. "These are typical holes that are left behind by explorers," said Porod in an interview with APA.

"Destruction of a monument"
It is unclear whether historical pieces were actually stolen, but it is conceivable. "Apart from that, it is the destruction of a monument", said the head curator of the Provincial Roman Collection and Antiquities Cabinet. The use of these metal detectors is also not permitted on the site. "We are stunned at how brazenly and shamelessly this was done," she said, expressing her horror.

We are flabbergasted at how brazenly and shamelessly this was done.

Barbara Porod

Bild: UMJ/J. J. Kucek

Marko Mele, Scientific Director of the Universal Museum and an archaeologist himself, was also shocked: "Modern archaeological excavations allow us to look far into the past and learn more about the lives of our ancestors. The Flavia Solva site serves to protect the cultural heritage that still lies in the ground and enables archaeological research to develop new methods to gain even better insights into the past."

Marko Mele, Scientific Director of the Universal Museum

(Bild: Scherbichler Wulf/Wulf Scherbichler)

Inappropriate interventions in the listed soil of Flavia Solva with the aim of satisfying curiosity and possibly even enriching oneself would cause enormous damage. "The fact that this is happening during an archaeological excavation is simply inconceivable and must be condemned in no uncertain terms."

Flavia Solva

Flavia Solva in the southern Styrian municipality of Wagna (near Leibnitz) was one of the most cultivated towns in the Roman province of Noricum and is now an important Roman archaeological site. Exhibits from over 140 years of archaeological research are made accessible to the public at the original site. Flavia Solva is administered by the Universalmuseum Joanneum.

"A fierce looting"
Bernhard Hebert from the Federal Monuments Office said that such cases are very rare on regular excavations, but are particularly "outrageous". Time and again, he said, explorers carry out unauthorized excavations and often take things they find out of context: "Information about history is lost as a result," he emphasized. He had not experienced "such violent looting" for a long time.

The Styrian State Police Directorate confirmed on Friday afternoon that a complaint had been filed. However, the investigation is only just beginning. According to Porod, everything was documented. The excavation will continue until August 1st.