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Historic sculptures and cultural objects have been stolen from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, authorities report.

The theft was found on Monday, when employees allegedly found that an entrance had been damaged from the interior.

The multiple missing statues were crafted from marble and traced back to the Roman period, one official told the media outlet.

Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had initiated an inquiry to establish the "events surrounding the theft of a number of artifacts", and that measures had been taken to enhance protection and surveillance.

The head of internal security in Damascus province, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the state-run Sana news agency as saying that security forces were probing the incident, which he said had focused on several "archaeological statues and unique items".

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

The cultural institution, which was created in 1919, contains the primary archaeological collection in Syria.

It contains ancient inscribed tablets tracing back to the Bronze Age from an ancient city, where evidence of the oldest known complete alphabet was uncovered; early centuries CE ancient art from Palmyra, one of the most important historical locations of the ancient world; and a ancient synagogue that was established at an ancient location.

The institution was had to cease operations in the early 2010s, one year after the beginning of the destructive conflict. A large portion of the collection was transferred and kept at undisclosed sites to safeguard them.

It began limited operations in recent years and resumed full operations in early this year, one month after insurgents removed President Bashar al-Assad.

Each of the six of the country's cultural landmarks were damaged or significantly impacted during the conflict.

The militant faction destroyed several religious structures and additional edifices at the ancient city, stating that they were against their beliefs. Unesco denounced the demolition as a war crime.

Countless cultural items were also damaged or stolen from dig sites and cultural institutions.