Police Recover Three Valuable Medieval Artefacts Looted from an Underwater Site in Alicante

Police from the Generalitat have recovered a collection of medieval archaeological artefacts believed to have been looted from an underwater site located off the coast of the Marina Alta region, according to the Historical Heritage Group of the province of Alicante.

The Archaeological Museum of Alicante (Marq) has determined the medieval origin of eight pieces. The most valuable are a fixed cruciform buckle, a liriform buckle and its pin, as well as two other decorative elements stamped in sheath form. All are made of bronze and belong to the medieval feudal era.

Additionally, an amphora handle and a ceramic vessel base have been chronologically dated to the Roman or medieval periods, and an amphora neck has been identified as from the Early Middle Ages. Finally, a handle of a possible jug has been identified as medieval.

These shipwrecks represent a significant find due to the scarcity of medieval remains in underwater archaeological sites in the Valencian Community, according to information provided by the Historical Heritage Group of the Generalitat Police in Alicante.

The police operation, which began in January 2025, has resulted in one person being investigated for these acts as a suspected perpetrator of a crime against historical heritage.

The individual under investigation worked as a professional diver and had specific equipment to detect metal objects through electronic scanning, both on the seabed and on land, according to the police unit.

Moreover, some of the looted pieces (specifically, the two buckles and the decorative elements in sheath form) underwent an abrasive and irreversible cleaning process that has resulted in the almost total removal of the original archaeological patinas and coatings, according to the analysis conducted by Marq.

Alongside these shipwrecks, a collection of 12 spherical metal pieces (possibly coins) and a piece identified as possible slag or casting waste were also recovered, both of indeterminate age, as well as bronze nails and other elements of modern origin.

All the seized objects are at the disposal of the judicial authority and are deposited at Marq.