Divers Pull Hundreds of Amphorae From Roman Wreck
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- Italy's Carabinieri cultural protection unit discovered the wreck of a Roman ship off the Sicilian coast, with divers recovering hundreds of amphorae and parts of anchors from inside the vessel.
- The wreck sits approximately 3 miles off the coast of Mazara del Vallo, a Sicilian port town.
- Sicily was colonised by ancient Greeks from around the eighth century BC and later conquered by the Romans in about 240BC.
- The island served as an important trade hub in the ancient world, sitting at the crossroads of Mediterranean shipping lanes.
Why it matters: The Mazara del Vallo wreck sits where Greek colonization (~8th century BC) and Roman conquest (~240BC) converged on a key ancient trade hub. Italy's Carabinieri cultural protection unit — a force specifically tasked with safeguarding Italian heritage — recovered hundreds of amphorae and anchor fragments, giving archaeologists direct material evidence of Sicily's ancient commercial role.
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