By Oliver McIntyre
AN act of vandalism and theft from a Roman ruins site in Marbella has been met with outrage and promises by local officials to step-up security at the town’s archaeological sites.
Marbella mayor José Bernal last week called the incident at the Río Verde Villa Romana “an attack on cultural patrimony,” describing the site as a “defining feature of our history and heritage”.
The attack left significant damage to a mosaic design embedded in the ground at the site, the central piece of which – an image of a medusa’s head – was stolen.
“The moment we learned of this terrible incident last Sunday we contacted the local police as well as the National Police, whose scientific unit began work on the investigation,” said mayor Bernal.
