Italian Divers Discover 2,000-Year-Old Roman Shipwreck Off the Coast of Sicily
- Specialist police divers found the ancient vessel about 46 metres deep near Mazara del Vallo after a tip-off from local fishermen
- The wreck, stretching 21 metres long, was packed with hundreds of well-preserved amphorae dating from the 2nd or 1st Century BC
- Italy's Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli called it one of the most important underwater archaeological finds in recent years
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Italian specialist divers have uncovered a Roman shipwreck off the Sicilian coast believed to be more than 2,000 years old, packed with hundreds of ancient cargo containers in remarkable condition.
The discovery was made near Mazara del Vallo, with divers from the Carabinieri Art Squad, the cultural heritage protection unit of Italy's police, descending roughly 46 metres to reach the site following a tip-off from local fishermen.
Source: Getty Images
According to BBC, the wreck measures 21 metres in length and 6 metres in width. Italy's culture ministry placed it in the 2nd or 1st Century BC. Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli described the find as "one of the most important underwater archaeological discoveries of recent years."
How a fisherman first spotted the wreck
The initial discovery was made by Giacomo De Mola, a fisherman and free-diver who noticed an unusual shape on his scanner while surveying the seabed. Suspecting it might be a large rock, he dived to take a closer look.
"I get closer. And my heart stops. It wasn't a rock," he wrote on social media. What he found instead was a dense collection of amphorae, the tall ceramic jars used in the ancient world to carry wine, oil and grain.
"This is, without a doubt, the most incredible discovery of my life," De Mola 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."
He shared footage of the site, which showed eels, snappers and what he called "countless marine life" sheltering among the ancient jars. "This time we didn't just find a wreck, we found a piece of our history," he added.
What happens next
Italian authorities have confirmed that safety measures will be put in place to protect the site while experts carry out a full investigation into the wreck's origins and cargo.
The Mediterranean is widely understood to hold many more such ancient wrecks across its floor. A similar vessel from the 1st or 2nd Century BC, also filled with amphorae, was found north-west of Rome in 2023. Before that, a Greek merchant ship estimated to be more than 2,400 years old was found off the Bulgarian coast in 2018 and was at the time recognised as the world's oldest known intact shipwreck.
Source: Getty Images
US WWII ship found off Philippines
Legit.ng earlier reported that a US navy destroyer sunk during World War II has been found nearly 7,000 metres (23,000 feet) below sea level off the Philippines, making it the world's deepest shipwreck ever located, an American exploration team said.
The USS Samuel B Roberts went down during a battle off the central island of Samar on October 25, 1944 as US forces fought to liberate the Philippines -- then a US colony -- from Japanese occupation. A crewed submersible filmed, photographed and surveyed the battered hull of the "Sammy B" during a series of dives over eight days this month, Texas-based undersea technology company Caladan Oceanic said.
Source: Legit.ng
