More than a decade after thieves stole the Dutch Golden Age paintings from the Westfries Museum, the artworks have finally been returned to their home.  It has been more than a decade after they disappeared into what experts believe has been the illicit underground art market.  The art pieces belong to the Westfries Museum, located in the Dutch maritime town of Hoorn, and where they will be unveiled on October 7 again.

It was reported that in January 2005, thieves had hidden inside a coffin on display inside the museum before disabling the security system and taking off with 24 paintings and 70 pieces of silverware. It has been reported that the stolen pieces were the bulk of the museum’s 17th and 18th century collection, worth approximately 1.3 million euros ($1.45 million).  Since there were no solid leads, and no information about who the thieves were, it was feared for over a decade that the paintings would never be found. 

However, in July 2015, the museum’s director, Ad Geerdink, received word that someone from a Ukrainian militia force, a man named Borys Humeniuk, had made contact with the Dutch embassy in Kiev as reported by CNN.  It was then reported that the paintings were found far away in Ukraine, where the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists had claimed to have found the paintings, and said that they were willing to transfer them to the Dutch Museum. 

It is still not clear who the thieves were and/or how the 5 paintings had got to Ukraine from the small Dutch city.  What is for certain as reported here on WCHV website,  stolen artwork from around the world are sold in private and underground markets for years after they are stolen from their rightful owners. 

Recent discovery of Roman coins in Japan has baffled archaeologists as reported by several news outlets. The four Roman copper coins were retrieved from soil beneath Katsuren Castle on Okinawa Island. Even though the designs on the coins are difficult to decipher as they have been eroded over time, the x-ray analysis done later revealed several of the relics bore the image of Emperor Constantine I. It has also been reported that since excavation on the site began in 2013, researchers have also found six more coins which may date back to the Ottoman Empire in the late 17th century. The Roman coins appear to be much older, dating back to at least 400AD according to estimates.

The board of education in the Japanese city of Uruma announced the discovery, and said the story of how the coins came to arrive in Japan still remain a mystery. Katsuren Castle was known to have been the focal point of trading partnerships with China and other Asian countries, but ties to Europe were not evident until the recovery of the coins. The archeologists and experts are asking if there were more extensive trading relationships with Europe in that region or if the coins were brought there by merchants. The experts do not believe that there was any direct link between the Roman Empire and Katsuren Castle, but the discovery confirms how that region had trade relations with the rest of Asia.

The ruins of the castle were registered in 2000 on the UNESCO World Heritage list as part of the Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu.
The coins will be analyzed further and displayed at Uruma City museum on Okinawa until the end of November 2016.