A long-lost ancient Roman artifact reappears in a New Orleans backyard
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- A family cleaning their backyard in New Orleans discovered an unusual marble tablet with some characters in Latin. Daniella Santoro turned to an archaeologist friend for help. It turns out to be a grave marker for a 42-year-old Roman sailor named Sextus Congenius Verus, who died 1,900 years ago. The tablet had been held at a museum in the seaside town of Civitavecchia that was destroyed during World War II. That's where the grandfather of the home's previous owner was stationed, and fell in love. The couple apparently brought the tablet from Italy after the war. Now the FBI is in talks with Italian authorities to repatriate the tablet.