Wreck of ancient trading vessel discovered in Ionian Sea - video

In the Ionian Sea near Taranto, Italy, divers have found the wreck of an ancient trading vessel dating back 2,000 years.

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A very interesting discovery has been made by divers in the waters of the Ionian Sea off Italy’s southern coast. On the seabed near Taranto, they discovered an ancient wreck from about 2,000 years ago, which was carrying construction materials. According to the researchers, the vessel’s cargo was to be used for the construction of luxury villas in the Apulia region.

The wreck of an ancient trading vessel from 2,000 years ago

A wreck site off the coast of Leporano is believed to be the wreck of a Roman trading vessel. The unusual discovery was made by local diver and environmentalist Fabio Matacchiera. At the site, divers also made documentation of the site in the form of photos, videos and measurements. The collected material made it possible to determine that the found wreck dates from between the 1st and 4th centuries.

The cargo of an ancient trading unit was largely a few hundred roof tiles or tiles. Various items that may have been used to build or renovate a seaside villa were also found at the site.

At that time, the eastern coast of Taranto saw a flourishing of rustic villas, large farms with luxurious private residences by the sea. Their ruins are evidence that wealthy members of the imperial family owned residences in the area – Professor La Ringhiera said.

Among the most interesting artifacts the divers discovered at the site was an iron anchor. Its shape and workmanship proved extremely helpful in determining the age of the vessel.

The anchor shows a spindle crack, indicating that the ship, measuring about 15 meters in length, was in great difficulty before it sank due to a violent storm that pushed it toward the coast – Fabio Matacchiera explains.

Undoubtedly, the discovered wreck of an ancient trading vessel is just one of many that rest at the bottom of the sea in the area. Therefore, it is not unlikely that more sites will be discovered in the near future, which will shed more light on the ancient history of the area.

Without a doubt, the area around England’s Dover is famous for the shipwrecks sunk there. One of those worth exploring is without a doubt the Mindoro shipwreck. You can read more about it in Stefan Panis’ article, which we published in the 20th issue. DIVERS24 quarterly! The digital version of the magazine is available free of charge, while you can purchase the printed version in our online store.