Italian cops recover stolen Pompeii bust

PIACENZA, Italy, Oct. 18 (UPI) -- Police in northern Italy said they have recovered a stolen bust they believe may depict the Roman emperor Nero's mother.

The bust was stolen 25 to 30 years ago from an archaeological dig near Pompeii, the Roman city destroyed in 79 A.D. by a volcanic eruption at Mount Vesuvius.

The bust, probably made for a funeral service, dates from 100 B.C. to 50 A.D., and is likely Giulia Agrippina Augusta, Nero's mother, ANSA news agency reported Thursday.

Investigators did not offer any information on how the bust was recovered or who may have stolen it.