The epigraphic bronze piece of Roman origin was found when it was going to be auctioned in Madrid.
Agents of the National Police have recovered in Madrid a unique legal document made in bronze with more than 2,000 years old. The piece, which had not been included in the inventory of archaeological assets established by the Historical Heritage Law, is an imperial decree of Emperor Tiberius, which regulated the privileges and financing of soldiers and veterans, promulgated immediately after death. by César Augusto.
The investigation began when the agents located a significant Roman piece when they were carrying out tracking work on the web that was going to be auctioned in Madrid. In the first inquiries, as explained in a statement from the General Directorate of the Police, the agents found out that the archaeological plaque had been acquired by the current owners in an antique shop in Seville. The owner of the establishment lacked documentation to support its legal provenance.
After the investigation carried out, the judicial authority has agreed to the precautionary intervention of the bronze plaque and has requested the collaboration of the General Subdirectorate for the Protection of Historical Heritage of the Ministry of Culture, for the appointment of technicians who will carry out the appropriate studies of the plaque and be given the most suitable final destination.
Experts have determined that the piece was made in the early years of the Roman Empire, when Emperor Tiberius succeeded his predecessor Caesar Augustus in power of the great Roman civilization.
It was September 18, A.D. 14. when Tiberius Julius Caesara assumed the position of emperor. During his youth he had been one of Rome’s brightest generals who managed to stabilize the northern frontier of the empire. However, as the historian Pliny the Elder wrote, he never wanted to inherit the coveted title of emperor and called him “the saddest of men.” Now, this finding recovered by the Police can shed light on that troubled time.
