Police divers find intact Roman artefacts off Porto Rotondo, Sardinia

Mixed · 2Police divers on a routine underwater safety operation off Porto Rotondo, on the Italian island of Sardinia, found Roman-era artefacts on the seabed. 1 2 Mixed · 2The officers, based in Olbia, first noticed a piece of broken terracotta and returned for a second dive, when they found largely intact items. 1 2 Right · 1Officials said careful dredging led to the recovery of three intact terracotta artefacts, specifically a transport basin, along with other minor items. 1

Right · 1Sassari Police Headquarters announced the find; Fox News, citing news agency Cover Images, says this was in late August, and the finds were made available to the competent archaeological superintendent. 1 Mixed · 2A preliminary analysis suggests the items may date from the second half of the 1st century BC to the 1st century AD, with a possible origin in Lazio, Campania or the Iberian Peninsula, officials said. 1 2 Mixed · 2Images show police divers examining the seabed and an intact amphora in seagrass; amphorae carried goods such as wine, olive oil and grain. 1 2

Mixed · 2Specialists will examine the items to establish their precise age and origin, and to determine whether they come from a larger archaeological site with more artefacts. 1 2 Mixed · 2Both outlets note a similar find earlier this year: a Roman merchant shipwreck with amphorae in the Ionian Sea off Apulia, found on a maritime patrol in June 2025 and dated to the late Imperial era (about 284–641 AD). 1 2