Ancient Roman Treasure Unearthed in New Orleans Backyard

A New Orleans family discovered a 1,900-year-old marble tablet with Latin inscriptions while cleaning their backyard. The tablet, belonging to Roman sailor Sextus Congenius Verus, had been missing from an Italian museum for decades. Efforts are underway to repatriate it to Italy.

A New Orleans family stumbled upon an extraordinary find in their backyard—an ancient Roman marble tablet inscribed in Latin.

Tulane University anthropologist Daniella Santoro quickly involved classical archaeologist Susann Lusnia, who identified it as the gravestone of Roman sailor Sextus Congenius Verus, missing for decades from a Civitavecchia museum.

The FBI is working with Italian authorities for its return while the discovery has rekindled memories for the family, connecting a World War II-era tale and modern-day curiosity.