Roman shipwreck with 500 amphorae discovered off Sicily

A Roman shipwreck dating to roughly 2,100 years ago has been located three miles off the coast of Mazara del Vallo in western Sicily. The vessel, measuring about 21 metres long and six metres wide, rests at a depth of 46 metres and was carrying an estimated 500 amphorae.

Italy's cultural heritage police, the Carabinieri, investigated the site with divers and underwater cameras after receiving a tip-off from local fishers. Most of the cargo consists of Dressel 1A amphorae, a two-handled ceramic jar type widely used to transport wine between the second and first centuries BC.

Divers Giacomo De Mola and Igor Bisulli described encountering a dense field of amphorae on the seabed. De Mola said visibility was limited but the scale of the cargo was immediately apparent, calling it the most incredible discovery of his life.

Italy's culture minister, Alessandro Giuli, characterised the find as one of the most important underwater archaeological discoveries of recent years. He said the wreck provides further evidence of the trade routes that made the Mediterranean a crossroads of civilisations.

Sicily's superintendency of the sea plans a new phase of scientific documentation and research over the coming months. Archaeologists will seek to establish a more precise date for the wreck, the origin and intended destination of its cargo, and the condition of surviving materials.

Protective measures are also being drawn up for what officials describe as a site of exceptional archaeological significance. The Dressel 1A amphorae are particularly valuable for reconstructing commercial networks that linked Italy with other Mediterranean regions.

The discovery adds to a series of Roman wrecks found in Italian waters in recent years. A second-century BC vessel carrying wine amphorae was located off Palermo in 2021 at a depth of 92 metres, and another off Liguria in 2013 at about 50 metres depth.

Sicily's position along ancient maritime routes linking Greece, the Middle East, North Africa and Europe makes its surrounding waters one of the Mediterranean's richest areas for underwater archaeology. Italian police recover hundreds of illegally removed Roman amphorae each year, often from collectors and dealers.