Lost for centuries, a rare bronze statue of the Greek god Apollo has mysteriously resurfaced in the Gaza Strip, only to be seized by police and vanish from view.
Word of the remarkable find has caught the imagination of the world of archaeology, but the police cannot say when the life-sized bronze might go on display.
A local fisherman said he scooped the 500kg god from the sea bed last August, and carried it home on a donkey cart, unaware of the significance of his catch.
Others soon guessed at its importance, and the statue appeared on Ebay with a $500000 price tag - well below its true value. Police from the Islamist group Hamas, who rule the isolated Palestinian territory, swiftly seized it and are now investigating.
Archaeologists have not been able to inspect the Apollo and are poring over a few blurred photographs of the intact deity - laid out on a Smurfs blanket.
They reckon it was cast between the 5th and 1st century BC, making it at least 2000 years old.
"It's unique. In some ways I would say it is priceless. It's like people asking what is the value of the painting La Gioconda (the Mona Lisa) in the Louvre museum," said Jean-Michel de Tarragon, a historian with the French Archaeological School of Jerusalem.
"It's very, very rare to find a statue which is not in marble or in stone, but in metal," he said.
The apparently pristine condition of the god suggested it was uncovered on land and not in the sea, he said, speculating that the true location of where it was unearthed was not revealed to avoid arguments over ownership.
Palestinian fisherman Joudat Ghrab, 26, said he saw a human-like shape in shallow waters of the Mediterranean 100m offshore. It took him and relatives four hours to drag the "treasure" ashore.
"I felt it was something gifted to me by God," said Ghrab. "Myfinancial situation is very difficult and I am waiting for my reward."
His mother was less happy when she saw the naked Apollo carried into the house, demanding that his private parts be covered.
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