Roman Shipwreck Found off Sicily

Ancient map of Sicily

Amphorae on the seabed around the shipwreck, scattered there 
over 2000 years ago.

 Palermo police diver navigating and probing
near the submerged vessel.

 A 2100-year-old Roman shipwreck has been discovered about three miles off the coast of Mazara del Vallo, in Sicily, offering a remarkable glimpse into an ancient Mediterranean trade. The wreck was first noticed by underwater fisherman and free diver, Giacomo De Mola, who spotted an unusual shape on his boat’s sonar scanner. Intrigued, he dived down to the spot indicated at a depth of 46 metres and discovered what had been a Roman merchant vessel which had measured roughly 21 metres by six metres together  with a vast expanse of amphorae scattered around the wreck on the seabed. Clearly the wooden vessel, which had been likely preserved for two thousand years by being submerged below the sand and mud, had been transporting the amphorae, the tall cylindrical clay jars made in North Africa and traditionally used to transport wine across the extensive trade networks of the Roman Mediterranean. De Mola immediately alerted the Sicilian Region’s Superintendent of the Sea and Italian authorities, including the cultural heritage protection unit of the Palermo police which have documented the site, calling it a significant underwater archaeological discovery which must be protected.     

Roman amphorae, still serviceable.

The wreck is considered exceptionally well-preserved with the ceramic amphorae largely intact after more than two millennia on the seabed. Researchers plan to continue mapping and studying the site to reconstruct the ship’s archaeological context and ensure its preservation. Roman shipwrecks like this one, in the Mediterranean, indicate that Roman maritime commerce reached its peak between 100 B.C.E. and 100 C..E. Beyond the Mediterranean Sea, Roman ships sailed on European rivers like the Rhone, the Po and the Tiber and may even have traversed the Nile. Trade ships often carried grains and oils as well as wines along with building materials like lumber and marble plus olive oil and preserved fish, all usually transported in clay amphorae.

Carabinieri exploring and notetaking around the wreck

This remarkable find not only enriches current understanding of Roman maritime history but also highlights Sicily’s historical role which occupied a strategic position at the centre of Mediterranean trade routes connecting commercial networks across Southern Europe, North Africa and the wider Mediterranean.  It also underscores the potential for further underwater archaeological discoveries in the Mediterranean.

 

Post Script

The discovery also offers a unique opportunity to study the marine ecosystem that has developed within and around the wreck, which now hosts species such as moray eels and dusky groupers, the latter being deep-bodied fish found generally in the Mediterranean and the Eastern Atlantic. 

Dusky Grouper