Thieves have stolen several scenes from a IV century Roman mosaic dedicated to the god Bacchus located in the town of Santa Cruz de Baños in Valdearados, seriously damaging the mosaic.
The thieves used rudimentary tools, some left behind at the scene, to remove parts of the ancient mosaic, leaving a gaping hole in the artefact.
The mosaic of Bacchus, only partly excavated, covers about 66 square metres and is an important find both in historical and artistic terms. The area contains several other IV century mosaics.
The Roman villa was discovered in 1972 when bulldozers were working in the area and excavations were carried out in 1973, 1974 and 1978. Further excavation work has not been possible due to financial constraints.
The mosaic is located on the outskirts of the town and has no security measures in place and it was visitors to the site who alerted the authorities to the possibility that a theft had taken place. Requests by the Council for a physical fence or video surveillance of the site had been turned down by the Junta de Castilla y León.