Ancient Roman shipwreck found off Sicily carrying hundreds of 2,000-year-old amphorae

Italian authorities have uncovered an ancient Roman merchant ship off the coast of Sicily, dating back to the 2nd or 1st Century BC.

The vessel was discovered lying 46 metres underwater roughly three nautical miles off Mazara del Vallo.

Measuring 21 metres long and 6 metres wide, the vessel’s cargo holds remain piled with hundreds of well-preserved amphorae, primarily Dressel 1A ceramic jars used during the late Roman Republic to transport commodities such as wine, olive oil, and grain.

Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli described the site as “one of the most important underwater archaeological discoveries of recent years”.

Local fisherman and free-diver Giacomo De Mola first flagged the site after detecting an anomaly on his sonar scanner that resembled a massive reef or rock. Upon diving down to investigate, he encountered the intact cargo mound surrounded by marine life.

Following De Mola’s report, specialist divers from the Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage (Carabinieri Art Squad), working alongside the Sicilian Region’s Superintendency of the Sea, were dispatched to survey and document the seabed.

Archaeologists also identified two lead anchor stocks alongside the vessel’s structure. Italian maritime authorities have implemented security measures to safeguard the wreckage from illicit looting while further documentation and cargo analysis take place.