Ancient Shipwreck Off Turkey Yields Luxury Tableware Linked to Cicero

A 2,100-year-old shipwreck discovered off the coast of Turkey has yielded thousands of luxury ceramic dishes, artifacts of a type once prized by the Roman statesman Cicero, whose writings significantly influenced American Founding Fathers like Thomas Jefferson and John Adams.

The recovery was announced by Turkish officials, with the state-run Anadolu Agency reporting that the ship was traveling from Rhosus to Rome when it sank in a shallow area during a storm approximately 138 to 180 feet below the surface.

The artifacts include 122 different forms and sizes of plates, bowls, and trays, such as dishes used for nuts, soup, and fish. Researchers believe the ceramics originated from Rhosus, a production center mentioned in Cicero's letters. In a letter to his friend Atticus around 50 B.C., Cicero wrote of ordering ceramic vessels from Rhosus for him.

Taco Terpstra, a professor of classics and history at Northwestern University, described the discovery as "quite rare," noting the unusual quantity of this specific type of ceramic. "This is not ordinary tableware," Terpstra told Fox News Digital. "This is not the kind of stuff that ordinary Romans would have on their table." He characterized the ceramics as "the equivalent of fine china" today and suggested they were intended for a high-end market.

The convergence of archaeological evidence, ancient coins found aboard the ship that aid in dating the wreck, and historical writings makes this find particularly significant. "It's quite rare for all of it … [all] the lines of evidence to come together, like monetary, archeological, literary," Terpstra said.

Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy indicated that the ceramics were remarkably well-preserved. Clay was packed between the dishes before they were placed in wooden crates, a method Terpstra suggested was likely unfired soft clay that protected the ceramics as the ship sank.

While Roman shipwrecks are considered common in the Mediterranean, the connection to Cicero's writings and the specific production region adds a unique layer of historical value to this discovery. The preservation of the artifacts is attributed to the packing material used, which likely prevented significant damage as the vessel went down.