The wreckage of an ancient Roman ship, which is believed to be over 2,000 years old, has been found off the coast of Italy.
The vessel was discovered at the Civitavecchia port, approximately 50 miles (80km) northwest of Rome.
This cargo ship is believed to be from the 1st or 2nd Century BC and was transporting numerous Roman terracotta jars called amphorae.
The pottery was primarily intact, according to the Carabinieri police's art squad.
The ship, over 20m long, was on a sandy seabed 160m (525ft) below sea level.
The Carabinieri stated that this exceptional discovery showcases the dangers that ancient Roman ships faced while attempting to reach the coast and highlights old maritime trading routes.
Protecting Italy's priceless cultural heritage, the police art squad found and filmed this artifact using a remotely operated robot. Whether experts will attempt to recover the ship or its valuable cargo from the sea floor remains unclear.
Typically, amphorae were used to transport goods such as oil, wine, or fish sauce, but it is unknown what the Roman jars on board were used for. Such artifacts are commonplace throughout the ancient eastern Mediterranean world.
Although the discovery of wrecked ships is not unusual, there are thousands scattered around the Mediterranean.
In 2018, the world's oldest intact shipwreck was discovered off the Bulgarian coast, a Greek merchant ship dating back more than 2,400 years. Additionally, in 2018, dozens of shipwrecks from the Greek, Roman, and Byzantine eras were found in the Aegean Sea.
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