When Roman objects are discovered in rivers they are commonly interpreted as accidental losses or as rubbish deposits revealed by fluvial erosion; this publication challenges these assumptions by for the first time publishing an entire riverine artefact assemblage, and comparing its composition to nearby excavated assemblages. The ca. 3,600 finds retrieved by two divers from the River Tees at Piercebridge are also related to the Roman bridges, settlement and fort, and analysed to better understand the people who used and deposited them.