Monteleone chariot

It was uncovered in 1902 in Monteleone di Spoleto, Umbria, Italy, in an underground tomb covered by a mound, and is currently a major attraction in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

Measuring 131 cm (51+5⁄8 in) in height and designed to be drawn by two horses, the chariot itself is constructed of wood covered with hammered bronze plates and carved ivory decoration.

[1] The bronze plates are decorated with Homeric iconography in relief; the main panel depicts Achilles being handed his replacement armor by his mother, Thetis, after his first set had been fatally lent to Patroklos.

Another account, related by Vannozzi's son Giuseppe, holds that the chariot was immediately sold as scrap metal, and the proceeds from the sale used to buy roof tiles.

[7] Changing hands several times after its initial sale, the chariot was eventually purchased in Paris by J. P. Morgan, who sent it to the Metropolitan Museum in 1903, where its first restoration took place.

In January 2005, the commune of Monteleone began a campaign aimed at recovering the chariot from the Met; their efforts, however, did not receive the backing of the Italian government.