Divers uncover mysterious 2,500-year-old shipwreck, filled with unusual artifacts, off coast of Sicily

Prehistoric tools and ancient anchors were recently discovered during an underwater excavation of a 2,500-year-old shipwreck off the coast of Sicily.

The Superintendence of the Sea (SopMare), a Sicilian governmental organization responsible for protecting ancient artifacts in sea waters, announced the discovery Dec. 9. The shipwreck, which dates back to the fifth- or sixth-century B.C., was found near Ragusa, a city in southeast Sicily.

The excavation was carried out by the University of Udine and SopMare. It lasted three weeks and ended in September, SopaMare said, and also included help from the Italian Coast Guard, “who provided technical and logistical support for the operations.”

SopMore said that the shipwreck was found “6 meters [19½ feet] deep, buried by sand and rocks.”

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“The excavation revealed a hull built with the ‘on the shell’ technique, characterized by beam boards connected by inserts (tenons and mortise) which gave the structure a self-supporting function,” the statement detailed. 

In a Facebook post translated from Italian to English, SopMare explained that prehistoric lithics – or stone tools – were found near the wreck, in addition to “newer” anchors from the seventh century.

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“A few meters from the wreckage two anchor cores were identified: two in iron of the type ‘T’ toppled, probably dating back to the seventh century A.D., and four lithics, from probably the prehistoric era,” the statement explained.

“Thanks to underwater photogrammetry, it was possible to generate a three-dimensional model of the waste, while the samples collected will allow further paleobotanic analysis to further study of the materials used.”

The organization added that the discoveries “witness the trade between Greece and Sicily.” Shipwreck discoveries in the waters off of Italy and Greece are not uncommon due to the long history of trade in the region.

In April, the SopMare announced the discovery of a “strange rock” that turned out to be a centuries-old helmet. 

The helmet, which was likely produced between the late 1400s and 1600s, was found sitting around 16 feet deep [5 meters] in the Ionian Sea, outside the small island of Vendicari.

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