Roman Villa de Rio Verde in Marbella stolen and damaged

A FULL police investigation is under way at the site of the ancient Roman Villa de Rio Verde in Marbella to determine whether vandals or thieves were responsible for the damage to a priceless first century listed artefact.

The large floor mosaic depicting the gorgon Medusa that has been dated as around 2,000 years old, and was declared of Cultural Interest (BIC) in 2007, has been reportedly seriously damaged, defaced and had tiles stolen. 

One of Marbella’s main attractions, the mosaic depicting the head of Medusa, an almost unique gorgon, was discovered to have been vandalised on Sunday January 10, when council officials noticed that the site had been broken into. 

On Monday morning, representatives of the local and regional government met with security forces to assess the damage and launch an investigation.

Police are hoping that security cameras which are placed on two adjoining detached houses located a few metres from the grounds can shed some light on the case.