A 2000 year old sunken ship was found near the port city of Genoa, Italy. Police divers found a substantial amount of food products including clay jars used for shipping oil, wine and olives.
An underwater rover found the remains 200 feet at the sea floor after fisherman reported that pottery fragments were caught in their nets.
Divers said that the clay jars, called amphorae, were damaged by fishing but a lower section of the ship was in good condition.
Some of the jars and pots were even sealed which allows scientists to further identify and analyze the food products that were being shipped. This is one of the best preserved shipwrecks ever found and it is believed that the ship is a Roman-era commercial vessel.
"The peculiarity of this is that the wreck could be almost intact," Lt Col Francesco Schilardi of the police divers' group said to the BBC."We believe it dates to sometime between the 1st Century BC and the 1st Century AD."
Inside the over 200 pots found, scientists have discovered that the shipment included picked fish which was often used to make the sauce, garum which was a popular staple for well-off Romans. It's made with fermented fish and used as a side dish.
"There are some broken jars around the wreck, but we believe that most of the amphorae inside the ship are still sealed and food filled," said Lt. Col. Schilardi according to The Daily Mail.
It is believed that the ship would have been traveling between Italy and Spain which was a popular route at the time.
The ship was hidden under layers of mud which left the cargo particularly well intact. Currently, the ship remains at sea level until authorities decide whether to bring it up or not.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
