The vessel was found about 3 miles (5km) off Mazara del Vallo at a depth of around 46 metres (151ft), according to Italian authorities. It measures approximately 21 metres (69ft) long and 6 metres (20ft) wide.
The discovery followed a tip-off from fishermen, prompting Italy's Carabinieri cultural heritage protection squad to send specialist divers to investigate the site using underwater cameras.
The wreck is believed to date from the second or first century BC and is loaded with hundreds of amphorae, ancient ceramic containers with narrow necks and two handles that were commonly used to transport goods across the Mediterranean.
Most of the cargo consists of Dressel 1A amphorae, which were widely used to transport wine. Archaeologists consider the containers particularly valuable because their distribution can help shed light on the commercial networks connecting Italy with other parts of the Mediterranean more than 2,000 years ago.
Italy's Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli described the discovery as 'one of the most important underwater archaeological discoveries of recent years'.
He said the wreck offered 'precious fragments of our history' and provided further evidence of the trade routes and exchanges that made the Mediterranean a 'crossroads of civilisations'.
Fisherman and free-diver Giacomo De Mola said he discovered the wreck while surveying the seabed near Mazara del Vallo. After noticing what appeared to be a large rock on his scanner, he decided to investigate.
'I get closer. And my heart stops. It wasn't a rock,' De Mola wrote on Instagram, describing the moment he saw a vast area covered with amphorae.
'This is, without a doubt, the most incredible discovery of my life,' he said, adding that it was difficult to describe the feeling of being among the first people in nearly 20 centuries to see the site.
Footage he shared showed eels, snappers and other marine life living around the ancient containers.
Authorities are now preparing further investigations to establish the precise date of the wreck, the origin and destination of its cargo and the condition of the surviving material. Measures will also be introduced to protect the site during the research.
The discovery adds to a growing list of ancient shipwrecks found in Italian waters. A Roman vessel carrying wine amphorae was discovered off Palermo in 2021, while another Roman ship dating from the second century BC was found off the coast of Liguria in 2013.
Sicily's strategic position along ancient maritime routes linking Europe, North Africa and the eastern Mediterranean has made its surrounding waters one of the region's richest areas for underwater archaeology.
Source : https://new.igihe.com/english/ancient-roman-shipwreck-carrying-500-amphorae-discovered-off-sicily/
