3.The Ceremonial Shop Mosaic That Was Inadvertently Transformed Into A Coffee Table
Location: USA’s Manhattan
Year Found: 2017
Estimated Value: Not Known
The antique coffee table that Helen Fioratti paid thousands of dollars for as a family relic didn’t make headlines until the Italian military police’s Art Recovery Unit showed up and claimed ownership of the object, saying it belonged to a cruel and despotic Roman Emperor.
Atlas Obscura: Caligula’s Ceremonial Shop Mosiac Inadvertently Converted Into A Coffee Table
Fioratti was unaware that her coffee table had its roots in Caligula and that, for forty-five years, a masterpiece taken from the opulent “pleasure boats” of the Roman emperor had been kept in her Upper East Side apartment. Although the antique is currently being restored to Italy, Caligula continues to get people into trouble even after his passing.