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Woman returns stones she stole from Pompeii, claims they are ‘cursed’
An archaeologist took to X to share a picture of a note from a woman who apologised for stealing stones from Pompeii and claimed that they are ‘cursed’.
A post about a woman returning three stones that she stole from the ancient site of Pompeii was shared on X. In a letter, the woman claimed that the stones had ‘cursed’ her and also extended her apology for taking the artefacts.
Gabriel Zuchtriegel, whose X bio says he is ‘currently in charge of Archaeological Park of Pompeii, Italy’, shared a picture of the note that the woman sent and also the three stolen stones.
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“Dear anonymous sender of this letter. The pumice stones arrived in Pompeii. Now good luck for your future and in bocca al lupo, as we say in Italy,” Zuchtriegel tweeted. The phrase ‘In bocca al lupo’ is an Italian idiom that is used to wish good luck.
Take a look at this tweet that shows the woman’s note:
The post was shared a few days ago. Since then, the tweet has accumulated more than 49,000 views. The share has further gathered nearly 400 likes. People posted varied comments while reacting to the post.
What did X users say about this tweet?
“People think there is a similar curse on the rocks from the volcanoes in Hawaii, but the truth is that it’s illegal to remove anything from a National Park, so tour guides and Park Rangers made up the curse to discourage people from taking souvenirs,” wrote an X user. “No one should steal from heritage sites,” added another.
About Pompeii:
Pompeii, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is an archaeological area in southern Italy’s Campania region. The eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD engulfed this flourishing Roman town. According to the UNESCO website, it is the only archaeological site in the world that ‘provides a complete picture of an ancient Roman city’.
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As per the organisation, “A special feature of Pompeii is the wealth of graffiti on its walls. An election was imminent at the time of the eruption, and there are many political slogans scrawled on walls, as well as others of a more personal nature, often defamatory”.
