Italian divers have discovered the wreck of a Roman ship off the coast of Sicily, filled to the brim with hundreds of mint amphorae, likely used to transport wine.
The wreck, at least 2,100 years old, was described by Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli as “one of the most important recent discoveries in underwater archaeology”, and was found five kilometers off the coast of Mazara del Vallo in western Sicily.
Divers from the Palermo police cultural heritage protection unit said Saturday they located the boat, estimated to date from a period between the 2nd and 1st centuries BCE, at a depth of 46 meters, thanks to information from fishermen.
In an Instagram post accompanied by a video of the discovery, spearfisherman Giacomo De Mola said he stumbled upon the wreck: “The visibility was not the best… I got closer. And it took my breath away. Beneath my feet was an immense expanse of amphorae.
The boat was 21 meters long and six meters wide, according to local media. It mainly transported Dressel 1A type amphorae, large and cylindrical, which were generally used to transport wine.
