Thieves Blow Up Dutch Museum Door to Steal 2,500-Year-Old Golden Helmet

A solid gold helmet dating back to the 5th century BC and cherished as a national treasure by generations of Romanians was stolen in the predawn hours of Saturday morning when three hooded thieves used explosives to blow out a door at the Drents Museum in Assen, the Netherlands.

The intruders took three minutes to abscond with the “Golden Helmet of Coțofenești,” as well as three golden bracelets that dated back to the ancient Dacians. While the museum maintained overnight surveillance, no guards were on duty during the brazen 3:45 am attack.

All the stolen pieces had been borrowed from National History Museum of Romania for a seven-month exhibition called “Dacia – Empire of Gold and Silver.” The run had been scheduled to end on Sunday.

In a social media post, Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said the historical items have “incalculable value” and asked for a speedy recovery.

The Coțofenești helmet had been an international superstar, with previous museum appearances in Paris, Oxford, Stockholm, Frankfurt, Rotterdam, Florence and Lisbon. It was even featured on a gold coin series issued by the National Bank of Romania.

Romanian art historian Cornel Colceru told the Dutch Broadcasting Foundation (NOS) that the helmet is particularly meaningful to Romanian national identity.

“Every child in Romania learns about this helmet in school. It’s the symbol of the Dacians and their treasures,” he said.

The Dacian people lived in a region that currently includes parts of modern-day Romania and several nearby countries. Their kingdom lasted until 106 AD, when the Romans took control of the region.

Experts believe the helmet belonged to a Geto-Dacian king. Weighing 770 grams (about 1.7 pounds), the golden helmet is adorned with a blend of designs from ancient Eurasian and Greek cultures. It is comprised of three welded plates and is largely intact, except for the very top, which is missing.

According to romanian-insider.com, two children who were tending cattle noticed the partly buried helmet in 1928 after torrential rain eroded a hillside in the village of Coțofenești. The children played with the helmet, not knowing its value or origin. The kids’ parents were also clueless and kept the helmet in their shed.

Smithsonianmag.com reported that a merchant from Ploiești, Romania, purchased the helmet from the family in 1929 and later donated it to the country’s National Museum of Antiquities. It arrived at the National History Museum of Romania in the 1970s. In July of 2024, the helmet was lent to the Drents Museum for a seven-month exhibition.

“This is a dark day,” Harry Tupan, the general director of the Drents Museum, said in a statement. “We are intensely shocked by the events last night at the museum. In its 170-year existence, there has never been such a major incident. It also gives us enormous sadness towards our colleagues in Romania.”

Romanian authorities fear that the culprits will try to melt down the helmet for its gold value, about $75,000.

Meanwhile the Dutch police have asked for the assistance of Interpol, the international organization that specializes in transnational crime, and Dutch entrepreneur Alex van Breemen offered a reward of EUR 100,000 ($104,000) for any tip that could lead to the recovery of “Golden Helmet of Coțofenești.”

Credit: Helmet of Coțofenești photo by Jerónimo Roure Pérez, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Drents Museum photo by CrazyPhunk, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Helmet detail photo by Laci3, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.