A large 2,000-year-old mosaic depicting the Gorgon Medusa was returned to its homeland, to Rome. She was transported in April of this year, but only in September the employees of the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced this event. For several decades, the artifact was in Los Angeles, but the public knew nothing about it.
The mosaic was first talked about in 2020, when its last owner, through his lawyer, notified the FBI that he was in possession of an ancient find. It is known that in 1909 the work was included in the list of cultural property, and since 1959 it has disappeared from sight. It was then that the mosaic was sold somewhere in the United States and since then, it may have been with several owners. He decided to return the artifact to Italy, as he could not sell due to lack of information about the origin of the work.
The composition was stored disassembled: once it was divided into 16 parts, some damaged by insects, others remained intact. Fragments weigh from 35 to 90 kg. First of all, experts plan to restore the integrity of the mosaic, and will soon put it in front of the public.
