Romanian artefacts stolen from Drents Museum

Burglars broke into the Drents Museum in the Netherlands and stole priceless Romanian objects. What took place? And what might the burglars do with these objects?

Words:

• Studying history through old objects and digging in the ground is described as archaeology.
• Artefacts are objects that are made by humans and have historical or cultural importance. (note: the text in the video uses the American spelling: artifacts)
• To shatter something is to break it into many pieces. 
• A planned robbery that requires a lot of preparation is called a heist.
• A bracelet is a piece of jewellery worn around your wrist.
• To utter something is to say something out loud. 
• When something is incalculable, it cannot be measured or calculated.
• When a person in an official position gives permission for something, they have authorised it.
• Something precious is valuable in terms of money or emotion. 
• The monetary value of something is its value in money.

Video:

Watch the video from 0:00-01:08.

1. True or false? Explain your answer.

Police arrived at the Drents Museum in Assen when they received a call about a burning car at 3:45 AM.

2. The most important item that was stolen was a golden helmet. Which of the following facts about the helmet are true?

A: It was found by a child in the 1920s.

B: It belonged to a king or nobleman.

C: It dates back to the 14^th century.

D: It was the museum’s most expensive piece.

E: It is very fragile and difficult to preserve.

3. Which other items were stolen in the raid?

Watch from 01:08 to the end of the video.

4. It is difficult to sell a famous museum piece. What is the Dutch art expert Arthur Brand afraid the burglars might do?

5. What did the Romanian government say about the value of the artefacts?

A: The Netherlands owes Romania a lot of money, because of the monetary value of the objects. 

B: The historic value of the piece is more important than the monetary value.

C: The artefacts are only if all four items are kept together. 

6. What does Amy Bryzgel say about lending out historic artefacts to other countries? Fill in the words in the summary.

monetary – appreciate – historic – artefacts – risk – trust  

It can be a […] to […] other countries with precious […]. While these items might have a high […] value to the other country, they might not […] the […] value they have to the country where they came from. 

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