A 4th century AD boat found in its treasures off Mallorca

The wreck of a 4th century AD boat was found "perfectly preserved" just two meters below the surface of one of the busiest beaches of Mallorca, Spain, according to the British newspaper (The Guardian).

On a stormy night some 1,700 years ago, a boat carrying hundreds of jars of wine, olives, oil, and garum (fermented fish sauce), a favourite of antiquity, fell into a stupor as it stopped in the port of Mallorca.

The merchant ship, which was probably anchored in the Gulf of Palma on its way from southwest Spain to Italy, was soon swallowed up by the waves, and was buried in the shallow sands of the seabed.

Until last month, its miraculously preserved treasures had remained untouched, despite resting just two meters below the bodies of countless tourists swimming off one of the Balearic's busiest beaches.

Now, the boat - known as the shipwreck "Sis Fontanelles" - is beginning to give up its archaeological, historical and "food" secrets.

The recovery operation, overseen by the island's board of directors, Consel de Mallorca, and involving experts from three Spanish universities in the Balearic Islands, Barcelona and Cadiz, has succeeded in recovering nearly 300 jars, along with other items that provide invaluable historical insight into the The Mediterranean region of the fourth century AD, and the daily life of the ship's crew.

In addition to the pottery jars - which still bear the colorful inscriptions or ancient trade inscriptions of "Titulus Pictus" - archaeologists have found leather shoes, rope shoes, a cooking pot, an oil lamp, and a Roman carpentry drill recovered from the area.

The boat, which is 12 meters long and 5 to 6 meters wide, appeared 3 years ago after a summer storm swept the waters of the Gulf.

His appearance confirmed the veracity of anecdotal reports from divers dating back to the 1950s, and prompted the Concel de Mallorca to take action.