Italian authorities have recovered precious 3rd century B.C. artifacts from an Etruscan necropolis looted by a couple of bungling tomb raiders in Umbria who stumbled across the haul on their land.

Italian authorities have announced the seizure of an illegal excavation of an Etruscan burial site in the central Umbria region.

Police in Italy said they found eight urns, two sarcophagi, and related funerary objects from the 3rd century BC. The artefacts would be worth around €8m (£6.7m), according to authorities.

Italian authorities are investigating two people for suspected theft of archaeological finds from the Etruscan era worth €8 million. View on euronews

Ancient artefacts worth at least €8m (£6.7m) have been recovered after being stolen by "tomb raiders" who accidentally found them on their land in Italy. The pieces included eight urns, sarcophagi and beauty accessories such as a bronze mirror and a perfume bottle which still smelled of its scent.

Italian authorities have recovered precious 3rd century B.C. artefacts from an Etruscan necropolis looted by a couple of bungling tomb raiders in Umbria who stumbled across the haul on their land. The Etruscans flourished in central Italy around 2,