CERVETERI , Italy, May 8 (UPI) -- A fifth-century BC drinking cup is back in Cerveteri, Italy, and on display after tomb raiders stole it from its excavation in the 1980s.
The long-stemmed and shallow wine glass, called a kylix and signed by the celebrated ceramic artist Euphronios, depicts scenes from the Trojan War. It was illegally taken out of Italy, and returned in 1999 by Los Angeles' J. Paul Getty Museum after the illegal trafficking was noticed.
It was excavated from 1983 to 1985 and later sold to the Getty in fragments.
The cup is the highlight of an exhibit, "Eurphonios' Cup: A World Heritage," which opened Thursday in Cerveteri, northwest of Rome, at the Caerite National Museum in a presentation celebrating the inclusion of the city's necropolis, or ancient cemetery, on UNESCO's World Heritage Site list.
A companion piece, a mixing bowl known as the Euphronios krater, will arrive at the museum in September. Created around 515 BC, it is only intact vase of the 27 surviving vases painted by Euphronios, and possibly his last before failing eyesight ended his career.
"This is an exceptional moment for Cerveteri, the original homeland of these two masterpieces," said Cerveteri mayor Alessio Pascucci.
