Italy's National Gendarmerie has found the wreck of a Roman cargo ship sunk more than two millennia ago off a coast near the capital Rome.
The shipwreck was found off the coast of the Italian port of Civitavecchia, about 80 kilometers northwest of the Italian capital, and the wreck lies on the seabed at a depth of about 160 meters.
The statement by the National Gendarmerie Art Protection Brigade said the ship, estimated to be more than 20 meters long and dating back to the first or second century BC, was carrying hundreds of ancient Roman pottery jars, most of which were found intact.
"The extraordinary discovery is an important example of a Roman shipwreck facing sea hazards trying to reach the coast, and bears witness to ancient maritime trade routes," the statement added.
The police technical team said the remains were found and photographed using a remotely operated robot, but did not say whether experts would now try to recover the ship or its precious cargo from the seabed.
The purpose of Roman jars on board is unknown although they are usually used to transport goods, such as oil, wine or fish sauce.
It is reported that these artifacts were widely found throughout the eastern world of the ancient Mediterranean.
In 2018, a Greek merchant ship dating back more than 2400,<> years was found off the Bulgarian coast and officially hailed as the oldest known shipwreck in the world.
In the same year, shipwrecks were found in the Aegean Sea dating back to the Greek, Roman and Byzantine eras.
Pottery was found throughout the Roman Empire, which is one of the most important civilizations in Europe after the Greek civilization.
Roman household pottery is usually divided into coarse pots, which are dishes and clay vessels used to cook or store and transport food and other goods, and soft pots are tableware in which food is formally served.