Olympia theft worse than originally reported; 77 artifacts were stolen by armed robbers
A Greek police officer enters the antiquities museum in Ancient Olympia where two masked armed robbers tied up a guard and made off with dozens of artifacts, Olympia, southern Greece, Friday, Feb. 17, 2012. Friday's robbery is the second major museum theft in the past two months in Greece. In January, thieves made off with art works by 20th century masters Pablo Picasso and Piet Mondrian from the country's National Gallery in central Athens. AP Photo/Dimitris Papaioannou.
ATHENS (AP).- Police in Greece say 77 artifacts were stolen by armed robbers last week at a small museum in Ancient Olympia — the birthplace of the ancient games — revealing that the extent of the theft was worse than originally reported. Police and the Culture Ministry had initially estimated that some 65 objects up to 3,200 years old were taken in Friday's raid, when two masked gunmen tied up a museum guard and used a sledgehammer to smash display cabinets at the southern Greek museum. Most of the items on the list released Monday were bronze and pottery figurines, vases and lamps. The robbery was the second major art heist in two months after works by 20th-century masters Pablo Picasso and Piet Mondrian were snatched from Athens' National Gallery. Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

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