Archaeologists have announced the discovery of a roughly 2,100-year-old shipwreck off the coast of Sicily, along with hundreds of remnants of its ancient cargo. The Italian Ministry of Culture made the announcement last month. The wreck is located about three miles off the coast of Mazara del Vallo, a city situated approximately 50 miles southwest of Palermo.
The Roman-era wreck dates between the second and first centuries B.C., according to the ministry. Divers found the site at a depth of about 150 feet. Among the artifacts discovered on the seabed are hundreds of amphorae, predominantly of the Dressel 1A type, as well as two lead anchor stocks and another structure made of the same material.
Pictures taken at the site show hundreds of ancient amphorae clustered across the seabed, many still remarkably intact despite spending more than 2,000 years underwater. Amphorae were commonly used throughout the ancient world to carry wine and olive oil, although officials have not specified what the vessels found aboard the wreck once contained.
Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli described the find as "one of the most important underwater archaeological discoveries of recent years." He noted that the sea continues to return precious fragments of history to us, and the Mazara del Vallo shipwreck provides insight into the people, routes, and trade that made the Mediterranean a crossroads of civilizations.
The Sicily's Superintendency of the Sea will conduct further research to learn more about the site's history and establish measures to protect it.
NTC Report coverage is based on reporting from the original publisher.
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