Roman wreck off Sicily yields thousands of ancient wine amphorae

A Roman merchant ship from the late Republic era was discovered by divers off the coast of Mazara del Vallo, Sicily, roughly three miles offshore and 150 feet beneath the surface. The wreck, estimated at 2,100 years old and measuring about 21 m long and six m wide, contained a massive cargo of Dressel 1A clay amphorae, the type typically employed for wine shipment. The site was identified after fisherman Giacomo De Mola’s underwater scanner flagged an anomaly that resembled a rock, prompting him to dive and report the find to the Sicilian regional sea superintendent.

Divers from the cultural heritage unit of Palermo police confirmed the vessel’s age as between the 2nd and 1st centuries BC. Italy’s Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli described the discovery as one of the most significant recent underwater archaeological finds. Video footage posted by De Mola showed the extensive array of amphorae on the seafloor.