Divers have discovered an ancient Roman shipwreck off the coast of Sicily, Italian police said.
The shipwreck is believed to be 2,100 years old.
The wreck had been found approximately three nautical miles off the coast of Mazaro del Vallo in western Sicily at a depth of 46 meters (150 feet), police said in a statement.
The cultural protection arm of the Italian police (Carabinieri) called it a “significant underwater archaeological site.” It added that initial surveys had “identified a Roman shipwreck presumably dating to between the 2nd and 1st centuries BC.”
Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli has called the find “one of the most important underwater archaeological discoveries of recent years.”
The site also contains “hundreds” of amphorae, which would likely have been used to transport wine.
How was the ancient Roman shipwreck discovered?
The shipwreck was found after a tip-off from local fishermen. Calling it the “most incredible discovery of my life,” Giacomo De Mola described on Instagram how he had stumbled upon the ancient wreck, which he said at first looked like “a simple rock.”
“Visibility isn’t great. I see a large dark mass and think, ‘Just another big rock…’ I get even closer. And my heart stops. It wasn’t a rock. Beneath me lay an immense expanse of amphorae — hundreds of amphorae that have lain on the seafloor for over 2,000 years. A Roman ship slumbering in the silence of the Mediterranean,” De Mola said.
In the post, the diver also included footage of the find.
Local media report that the ship is 21 meters long and 6 meters wide, and that it was mainly transporting Dressel 1A amphorae, tall cylindrical ceramic jars that were mainly used to carry wine.
De Mola said Lamboglia 2 amphorae, presumably from North Africa, as well as a Neo-Punic amphora, were also found.
“An extraordinary testament to the Mediterranean trade routes of over 2,000 years ago,” the diver said.
Edited by: Sean Sinico
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