Roman anchors recovered in Sardenia and Sicily

Two lead anchors dating back to the late Roman Republican era, between the first century BC and the second century AD, were recently discovered in the waters in front of Capo Sant'Elia in southern Sardinia.

Roman anchor recovered by the Carabinieri off the coast of southern Sardinia [Credit: ANSA]

The two 135 centimetre long lead anchors were detected at a depth of approximately 40 metres during the course of a series of control and monitoring activities aimed at preventing illegal damage to the protected marine areas and the underwater archaeological sites of South Sardinia.

The finds are currently being studied by the archaeological officials of the Superintendence of Cagliari.

Roman anchor found off Giardini Naxos on the island of Sicily [Credit: Sikily News]

Another lead anchor, also dating from the Roman period, was found under a rock in the waters in front of the marina Saja of Giardini Naxos on the island of Sicily in southern Italy.

The artefact, which is about one metre in length, was located at a depth of 8 metres and at a distance of about 20 metres from the shore, on a sandy seabed. The finding was made in the context of reconnaissance to identify archaeological sites.

Sources: ANSA and Sikily News [June 10, 2018]