In the depths off the northeastern shores of Sardinia, a diver’s discovery of something glinting in the sunlight has led to a remarkable underwater treasure trove. Italy’s culture ministry announced on Saturday that tens of thousands of ancient bronze coins dating from the first half of the fourth century were found nestled in the seagrass, a stone’s throw away from the Mediterranean island’s coast near the town of Arzachena.

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The ministry has kept the timeline of the discovery discreet, mentioning only that the first sight of metal by the unnamed diver spurred a full-scale archaeological investigation. Under the guidance of Italy’s art protection squad and the ministry’s undersea archaeology department, the seabed revealed its secrets—a vast spread of coins mainly across a sandy expanse between the seagrass and the beach. This area, intriguingly shaped and positioned, hints at the possibility of a shipwreck’s remnants lingering nearby.

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