Alex Trelinski
A Santa Pola villa owner got a big surprise during a full clean of her property before putting it up for sale.
She went into the basement and discovered three large ceramic pieces.
Believing they might be valuable, the woman contacted the Guardia Civil who brought in experts from Santa Pola’s Museum of the Sea to look at the works.
They identified the artefacts as Roman ceramic amphoras dating back 2,000 years.
The home owner said she did not have a clue that the amphoras were there and speculated they might have been acquired by a deceased relative.
Archaeological artefacts come under public domain ownership and illegal possession could lead to fines of between €60,001 and €150,000.
An official authentication will be carried out by the University of Alicante, before being transferred to the Santa Pola museum for permanent display.
Most of the amphorae found in the Santa Pola area were used to transport olive oil on ships to Rome.
Others also contained wine and fish sauces.
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