Ancient amphoras were discovered last Thursday in Odesa by Ukrainian forces while "digging defenses" to protect the city to prepare for any future Russian attacks, according to a Facebook post by the Ukrainian 126th Territorial Defense brigade.
Archaeologists cannot document the site where the 126th Territorial Defense was based because of the ongoing invasion.
Soldiers from the brigade who found the artifact wrote that it was "handed over to the staff of the Odessa Archaeological Museum," who promised to add them to the museum's collection.
The artifacts date back to the 4th or 5th century AD, the Facebook post said, while the Heritage Daily reported that they are associated with the Neolithic period as well as the Greek, Roman and Byzantine Empires. At the time, Odesa was known as Odessus, a Roman settlement that developed from a Greek colony, according to the Heritage Daily report.
Amphoras are ancient containers used for storage and transportation of products, according to the Daily. Amphoras can be used for both liquids and solids, but usually wine.
Last week, Russian forces reportedly destroyed ancient archaeological sites that included tombs dating back to the ancient Scythians, who lived between 900 to 200 BC.