Wreckage of ancient Roman ship found off Italian coast

News

By Jacob Geanous

July 29, 2023 | 7:31pm

The wreckage of a Roman ship that sunk more than 2,000 years ago was discovered off the Italian coast near Rome.

The cargo ship was found on a seabed off the port in Civitavecchia, which is about 50 miles northwest of the country’s capital, according to the country’s Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage.

The vessel — which dates back to the 1st or 2nd century BC — had been carrying hundreds of ancient Roman jars, known as amphorae, many of which were still intact when the wreckage was found by a remotely operated robot, authorities said.

“The exceptional discovery is an important example of the shipwreck of a Roman ship facing the perils of the sea in an attempt to reach the coast, and bears witness to old maritime trading routes,” the police unit said in a statement.

Authorities are now working to protect the site as hundreds of amphorae are taken illegally each year and found by Italian police in the homes of art dealers.

In June 2021, Italian authorities seized hundreds of illegally obtained archaeological pieces from a Belgian collector including amphorae, commemorative slabs known as stelae, and other items worth nearly $10 million, the Guardian reported.

Meanwhile, Italy’s coastline is teeming with underwater treasures that police scuba divers regularly patrol to protect from looters.

Sicilian archeologists discovered two ancient Roman ships in 2021 — one off the coast of Palermo and another near the island of Ustica.

Both vessels had been carrying large amounts of wine jugs.

Police also found a nearly intact ship dating back to the 2nd century BC off the coast of Genoa in 2013 after they were tipped off about the wreckage following a year-long investigation into stolen artifacts.