An ancient Roman shipwreck, believed to be more than 2,000 years old, has been discovered off the coast of Sicily. The vessel was found carrying hundreds of remarkably intact clay jars, known as amphorae, which may have once contained wine, olive oil, and grain.
Giacomo de Mola, a fisherman and diver, stumbled upon the find approximately three miles off the coast of Mazara del Vallo. While exploring the seabed at a depth of 150 feet, his sonar detected what he initially thought was a rock formation. Upon closer inspection, he discovered the scattered amphorae, along with two large lead anchor stocks and a lead pipe.
De Mola alerted Italian authorities, who confirmed the find to be the remains of a shipwreck dating back to the first or second century B.C. Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli hailed the discovery as "one of the most significant underwater archaeological discoveries of recent years."
"The sea continues to bring back precious fragments of our history, and the Mazara del Vallo wreck speaks to us of the people, the routes, and the exchanges that made the Mediterranean a crossroads of civilizations," Giuli stated.
De Mola described the find as the most incredible discovery of his life, calling the Roman ship "slumbering in the silence of the Mediterranean."