Italian divers found an old ship wreck 410 feet down in the Mediteranean Sea off the coast of Aeolian Island near Panarea according to the Associated Press.
"This shipwreck is a very important occasion to understand more about the daily life on the ancient ship, as well as the real dynamics of ancient trade," said Sebastiano Tusa, an Italian archaeologist examining the attraction. "Of course, there are other similar shipwrecks that can offer similar study cases. But this has the peculiarity to be in a very good preservation condition."
American divers found a rusted anchor on a rock, and pieces of cargo from the 50-foot-long wooden ship's time at sea strewn among amphora terra cotta wine and olive oil jars, utilized to transport wine and olive oil on trade passageways when they discovered the ship in 2010, 40 miles to the North of Sicily AP reported. Archaeologists believe the vessel, known as the Panarea III, ran into treacherous waters, and crashed into rocks before sinking to the ocean many moons ago.
Scientists also feel the large boat belonged to a rich trader or was utilized to help the Roman military gain control of the Mediterranean Sea between 218 and 210 B.C before it went to its final resting place while Rome, was a prominent international force throughout the world. This was especially the case during the second Punic Wars when Rome battled Carthage.
Scientists hope to further examine the vessel in 2015 with the help of a specialized device used for searching extremely deep ocean water from scuba diving organization Global Underwater Explorers.
