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Valuable artifacts and additional items have been taken from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, officials say.

The burglary was noticed on the start of the week, when staff reportedly found that an entrance had been forced from the interior.

The six taken pieces were marble creations and traced back to the Roman era, an authority informed the Associated Press.

Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had opened an investigation to identify the "circumstances surrounding the loss of a collection of items", and that steps had been implemented to enhance security and observation methods.

The chief of internal security in Damascus province, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was cited by the state-run Sana news agency as declaring that authorities were examining the incident, which he said had affected several "ancient sculptures and valuable objects".

He added that security personnel at the institution and additional people were being interrogated.

The cultural institution, which was established in the early twentieth century, contains the primary cultural treasures in Syria.

It features ancient inscribed tablets dating back to the 14th Century BC from an ancient city, where evidence of the earliest linguistic system was found; Greco-Roman period ancient art from the ancient city, one of the most important cultural centres of the historical period; and a 3rd Century AD Jewish temple that was established at another archaeological site.

The museum was had to cease operations in the early 2010s, one year after the start of the devastating civil war. The majority of the artifacts was evacuated and stored at secret locations to protect them.

It reopened partially in 2018 and completely reopened in early this year, a month after insurgents deposed President Bashar al-Assad.

Each of the six of nationally recognized sites were damaged or significantly impacted during the conflict.

The Islamic State group demolished numerous ancient buildings and other structures at the ancient city, claiming that they were idolatrous. The cultural organization condemned the destruction as a violation.

Many historical objects were also destroyed or looted from archaeological sites and museums.