Bronze Age gold hoard stolen in four-minute Spanish museum raid

One of the greatest gold hoard of the European Bronze Age has reportedly been stolen from a Spanish museum.

The famous Treasure of Villena, comprising 59 objects made of gold, silver, iron and amber, is said to have been taken in an early-hours raid this morning lasting around four minutes.

The alarm at the Municipal Archeological Museum of Villena near Alicante where the objects are kept in an armoured display case went off around 5.15am today.

The intruders got in through a side window and acted “very quickly” once they were inside after reporting deliberately starting a fire in another part of the municipality to divert police resources.

The museum remained cordoned off around 10am this morning as Gardia Civil investigators worked inside. The police force has yet to make any official comment.

The gold pieces forming part of the collection include 11 bowls, three bottles and 28 bracelets.

The iron pieces are the oldest found in the Iberian Peninsula and correspond to a stage in which iron was considered to be a precious metal. The iron is said to come from a meteor that struck Earth a million years ago.

The hoard was found in December 1963 by archaeologist Jose María Soler near Villena and its discovery attracted scientific and media attention nationally and internationally.

It is regarded as the most important find of prehistoric gold in the Iberian Peninsula and second in Europe, just behind that from the Royal Graves in Mycenae, Greece.

It was not immediately clear this morning if all the collection has been taken or just some of the most valuable pieces.

The Guardia Civil in Alicante has been approached for comment.