Ancient Shipwreck Unveiled Off Sicilian Coast
A 2,500-year-old shipwreck, Neolithic anchors included, has been discovered off the southern coast of Sicily, offering a glimpse into the bustling maritime voyages of antiquity.
Archaeologists uncovered the ancient vessel, buried beneath sand and rocks, during an underwater excavation project near Santa Maria del Focallo. Experts believe the ship dates back to the 5th and 6th centuries B.C., placing it during a crucial period in Sicilian history.
The vessel employed a simplistic shipbuilding technique known as "on-the-shell construction," a method often attributed to Mediterranean populations.
“This discovery represents an extraordinary contribution to the knowledge of the maritime history of Sicily and the Mediterranean and highlights once again the central role of the Island in the traffic and cultural exchanges of antiquity,” said Francesco Paolo Scarpinato, Sicily’s regional councilor for cultural heritage and Sicilian identity.
Several feet from the shipwreck, archaeologists found a unique trove of anchors. Two were forged from iron and likely date back to the 7th century A.D. The remaining four anchors, crafted from heavy stone, probably predate the shipwreck itself, hinting at a long and perhaps rugged history for these waters.
"The wreck, dating back to a crucial period for the transition between archaic and classical Greece, is a precious piece of the submerged Sicilian cultural heritage," the University of Udine noted in a statement.
The discovery, part of the Kaukana Project, offers a unique window into this pivotal era. U
"We are in fact faced with material evidence of the traffic and trade of a very ancient era," Massimo Capulli, a coordinator of the Kaukana Project and professor at the University of Udine clarified. By studying this vessel and its contents, researchers hope to better understand the transit of goods and the dynamics of ancient trade networks.
For centuries, Sicily played host to this intense maritime activity, serving as a crossroads between powerful ancient civilizations, ultimately falling to Roman control around 200 B.C. The analyses of the shogun, are still underway.
