“This is, without a doubt, the most incredible discovery of my life,” free-diver Giacomo De Mila said
NEED TO KNOW
- An ancient Roman shipwreck containing hundreds of amphorae was discovered off the coast of Sicily
- Amphorae are ancient ceramic storage jars with two handles and a neck narrower than the body, which were often used to transport goods such as wine and olive oil
- “This shipwreck tells the story of the people, trade routes, and exchanges that made the Mediterranean a crossroads of civilizations,” Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli said
An ancient Roman shipwreck believed to be more than 2,000 years old has been discovered off the coast of Sicily.
On Sunday, Aug. 8, Italy’s heritage police shared video footage of an ancient shipwreck that was discovered around three miles off the coast of Mazara del Vallo, according to The Associated Press.
The Carabinieri’s Cultural Heritage Protection explored the site with the help of scuba divers and underwater cameras, and found hundreds of amphorae, or ancient pottery vessels, among the wreckage.
The ceramic storage jars are characterized by their two handles and a neck narrower than the body, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica. They were often used to transport goods such as wine and olive oil.
In the video obtained by AP, divers could be seen jumping from their boats and swimming down to heaps of amphorae, each of which was covered in years of sand and barnacles.
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According to the BBC, specialist police divers discovered the ship at around 150 feet deep after getting a tip from fishermen. Local outlets have reported that the wreckage is approximately 69 feet long and 20 feet wide.
“I get closer. And my heart stops. It wasn’t a rock,” free diver Giacomo De Mila recalled of the moment he stumbled upon the wreckage. “This is, without a doubt, the most incredible discovery of my life.”
“It’s hard to describe what it feels like to be among the first humans, in nearly 20 centuries, to see that place again,” he added on Instagram. “This time we didn’t just find a wreck, we found a piece of our history.”
While sharing a video of the wreckage to social media, Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli described the discovery as “one of the most important underwater archaeological discoveries of recent years.”
“The sea continues to reveal precious evidence of our history,” he wrote on Instagram. “This shipwreck tells the story of the people, trade routes, and exchanges that made the Mediterranean a crossroads of civilizations.”
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