on a trip in 1958 [Credit: zmdubois via Ebay]
A brick supposedly taken from the ruins of Pompeii, the Roman city wiped out by a volcano in 79 AD, in 1958 was put up for sale on the online retail site on Friday for just $99, or a little over €70, La Repubblica reported.
The listing, which included four photos of the brick, soon caught the attention of online surfers and, eventually, the police.
Buyers have until January 16th to place their bids for the artefact, described as being "real brick from Pompeii", although as of Monday, the item had yet to attract any interest.
Using the online profile Zmdubois, the seller said they received the relic from their mother following a trip to Italy in 1958.
“My parents travelled a lot, and when they were in Pompeii, she couldn’t leave there without a brick,” the seller wrote.
A small note about the brick can be seen alongside one of the photos.
“She did a small write-up for all the artefacts she acquired,” added Zmdubois, possibily without realizing that possessing and selling archaeological relics, especially those from Pompeii, is a criminal offence.
The giant eruption of Mount Vesuvius devastated Pompeii nearly 2,000 years ago in 79 AD but the ash and rock helped preserve many buildings almost in their original state, as well as the curled-up corpses of victims.
Last week, a team of archeaologists revealed the eating habits of both the rich and poor of the city.
Source: The Local [January 13, 2014]