The golden helmet of Coofeneti at the Drents Museum Drents MuseumIn the dead of the night, three hooded thieves appeared outside theDrents Museum in Assen, a city in the northeastern Netherlands. Security camera footage shows them carrying a duffle bag, a crowbar and flashlights. Suddenly, a white flash obscures the image. Sparks and smoke scatter across the scene.With the aid of explosives, the thieves blasted their way into the museums renowned galleries full of antiquities and artfrom the worldsoldest known boat to an early Vincent van Gogh painting depicting a Dutch peasant burning weeds in the twilight.But as the sun rose on Assen and the authorities assessed the damage, it became clear that the thieves were after objects from the Dacia: Empire of Gold and Silver exhibition, a collection of archaeological treasures from museums across Romania that was supposed to close on January 26the day after the robbery.This is a dark day,Harry Tupan, the general director of the Drents Museum, says in astatement. We are intensely shocked by the events last night at the museum. In its 170-year existence, there has never been such a major incident. It also gives us enormous sadness towards our colleagues in Romania.Four golden objects are missing from the museum, including three royal bracelets and the resplendenthelmet of Coofeneti, which was on loan from theNational History Museum of Romania in Bucharest.Beelden van verdachten explosie en inbraak in Drents Museum in AssenWatch on Emil Hurezeanu, Romanias foreign minister, emphasized the profound emotional impact this incident generates in Romania, according to Irina Marica ofRomania Insider.The four stolen artifacts help tell the story of theDacian people, who lived in aregion that encompassed parts of modern-day Romania and several nearby countries. Their kingdom lasted until the Roman Empireconquered the region in around106 C.E.This is more than just a theft; it is a wound to the Romanian community, Romanian art historian and journalistClaudia Marcu tells theDutch Broadcasting Foundation (NOS), per a translation by theNL Times.The Coofeneti helmet, crafted out of solid gold around 450 B.C.E., is particularly meaningful to Romanian national identity.Every child in Romania learns about this helmet in school, Cornel Colceru, a Romanian translator based in the Netherlands, tells NOS. Its the symbol of the Dacians and their treasures. The stolen Dacian bracelets were found at the Sarmizegetusa Regia, the kingdom's ancient capital. Ing. Marius Amarie / Drents MuseumA replica of the helmet even featured in The Dacians, a 1966 Romanian film about clashes between the Roman Empire and the Dacian kingdom, according to theWashington Posts Kelly Kasulis Cho.The helmet was unearthed by children in the 1920s after a heavy rain washed away part of a hillside in central RomaniasPrahova region. After playing with it for a while, the children took it home, where the family used it as a water bowl for farm animals, according to the Drents Museum.A merchant fromPloieti, Prahovas capital, purchased the helmet from the family in 1929 and later donated it to the National Museum of Antiquities. It arrived at the National History Museum of Romania in the 1970s.Made from three gold plates welded together, the helmet features rich mythological imagery. On its front, two golden eyes are said to possess apotropaic qualities, or the ability to ward off evil, according to a gallery guide from the Drents Museum. The helmets decoration succinctly summarizes the blend of civilizational and artistic elements from ancient Eurasian and Greek culturesincluding griffins, sphinxes and a male figure sacrificing a ram.The bracelets, which date to around 50 B.C.E., were uncovered inSarmizegetusa Regia, the ancient Dacian capital, and feature spiraling gold loops. TheCoofeneti helmet dates to the fifth century B.C.E. Ing. Marius Amarie / Drents MuseumWe must find these items before they are melted down,Andrea Teunissen-Oprea, Romanias honorary consul in the Netherlands, tells NOS.The Dutch police have enlisted the help ofInterpol, an international police organization that specializes in transnational crime, according to astatement.Asimilar art theft using explosives took place at theMPV Gallery in the Dutch town of Oisterwijk in November, although those thieves were ultimately less successful, per Mike Corder of theAssociated Press.The thieves ran from the gallery with four Andy Warhol works. But after discovering that the paintings wouldnt fit in their getaway car, they ditched two on the road and ripped the other two out of their frames, damaging them in the process. Mark Peet Visser, the gallerys owner, called the robbery amateurish.In contrast, the recent incident at the Drents Museum was no amateur burglary, writes the New York Times Ali Watkins. Police have linked it to a nearby car fire, suggesting that the suspects may have set one car on fire and drove away in another. The search is ongoing, and the Drents Museum is closed until further notice.Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.