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Historic statues and additional items have been stolen from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, authorities report.

The robbery was found on Monday, when museum workers reportedly found that an entrance had been forced from the interior.

The six missing statues were marble creations and originated to the Roman period, one official told the news agency.

Cultural heritage officials said it had launched a probe to identify the "details surrounding the theft of a collection of items", and that actions had been taken to improve security and observation methods.

The chief of internal security in the Damascus region, Security Chief Atkeh, was quoted by the official media as saying that authorities were investigating the robbery, which he said had targeted several "ancient sculptures and rare collectibles".

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

The cultural institution, which was created in the early twentieth century, contains the significant cultural treasures in Syria.

It includes ancient inscribed tablets originating to the 14th Century BC from an ancient city, where evidence of the earliest linguistic system was uncovered; Greco-Roman period classical statues from Palmyra, a significant ancient sites of the classical era; and a 3rd Century AD synagogue that was constructed at Dura Europos.

The facility was forced to close in 2012, one year after the start of the devastating civil war. The majority of the holdings was removed and kept at undisclosed sites to safeguard them.

It reopened partially in recent years and returned to normal in early this year, a month after opposition groups overthrew Syria's former leader.

Each of the six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were affected or partially destroyed during the internal struggle.

The militant faction demolished numerous ancient buildings and other structures at the ancient city, stating that they were against their beliefs. Unesco censured the destruction as a violation.

Many artefacts were also destroyed or stolen from archaeological sites and collections.