Wreck of Roman ship was discovered near coast of Mallorca

A wreck of a Roman ship, about 1700 years old, was discovered off the coast of Mallorca. Among the remains of the ship are 93 amphoras with contents.

The first signals that there could be an amazing antique find next to the shore of the city of Playa de Palma gave a local resident who noticed shards of pottery. Then, archaeologists undertook exploration of the bottom.

As it turns out, the ship was small – 1o long and 5 meters wide. However, the most valuable discovery was almost intact amphoras, where some of them are sealed. To study the contents, scientists hold vessels in desalting water, as salt could break the amphoras.

As the scientists suggest, the ship was probably sailing on the Iberia – Rome route and may have sank due to a crack in the hull. Sinking due to bad weather was excluded.

Researchers will undertake further amphora research to better understand buyers and the products that were transported.