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A more than 2,000-year-old shipwreck has been discovered off the coast of Mazara del Vallo in Sicily, with hundreds of preserved ancient vats used to store wine onboard.
Italy’s Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage wrote in a news release that the Roman-era ship dates back to between the second and first centuries BC, and was found 46 meters below the surface.
The site contains hundreds of amphorae — ancient ceramic jars often used to transport wine, oil and other products — as well as two anchor stocks and a structure, both made of lead.
“The Superintendence of the Sea will conduct further documentation and investigation of the site, aimed at gaining a more complete understanding of the archaeological context and adopting appropriate protection measures,” the news release says.
Authorities described the wreck as “a significant underwater archaeological site” and said it was first reported by private citizens.
In an Instagram post congratulating the teams of experts examining the wreckage, Italy’s culture minister, Alessandro Giuli, wrote that their findings were “one of the most important underwater archaeological discoveries in recent years.”
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“The sea continues to bring us precious evidence of our history,” he continued.
“This wreck tells the story of the men, routes, and exchanges that made the Mediterranean a crossroads of civilizations. Research will now continue to reconstruct its history and restore it to the community,” the statement concluded.
Underwater footage captured by divers shows stacks of amphorae gathered on the ocean floor and divers swimming among the sunken wreckage.
Divers Giacomo De Mola and Igor Bisulli shared on social media how they came across the Roman ship during a day of surveying off the coast of Mazara del Vallo.
“Visibility wasn’t the best.… I got closer. And my heart stopped. Below me was a vast expanse of amphorae,” De Mola said in an Instagram post alongside footage from the discovery.
“A Roman ship asleep in the silence of the Mediterranean. When I resurface, I say to Igor, ‘You can’t imagine what’s down there…’”
Initial analyses revealed “an exceptional wreck,” De Mola wrote, including a pile of amphorae approximately 21 metres long, six metres wide and almost two metres high.
“This is, without a doubt, the most incredible discovery of my life,” he said. “It’s hard to describe what it feels like to be among the first humans, in nearly 20 centuries, to see that place again.”
The ship’s remains have undergone initial 3D imaging, according to De Mola, and remain on the seabed along with much of its ancient cargo. Italian authorities plan to continue investigations to more precisely establish the date of the shipwreck, determine the origin and destination of the goods and study the vessel’s structure.
The last discovery of a Roman vessel in the region was in July 2021, when a shipwreck was discovered off the coast of Palermo, 92 metres below sea level. Photographs captured by an underwater camera showed it carrying a cargo of wine amphorae.
Sicily served as a central hub and economic highway during the Roman Empire. Its position in the middle of the Mediterranean acted as a strategic crossroads for maritime trade, connecting Italy with Spain, Greece and North Africa.
— with files from Reuters
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