An international team of underwater archaeologists has found three new shipwrecks in an incredible discovery last year in the perilous Mediterranean waters off Tunisia. One of the shipwrecks is thought to be from ancient times, between 100 BC and 200 AD, while the other two are thought to be from the late 19th or early 20th centuries.
The remains were found during a mission to Skerki Bank, an area about 200 nautical miles long located in the Mediterranean between the coasts of Sicily and Tunisia. This area was historically one of the busiest shipping channels in the world, providing a direct trade route between the great city of Carthage and the Roman Empire. More recently, it hosted several naval battles during World War II.
However, this area, the most dangerous part of which is the Keith Reef, also poses significant dangers to ships trying to cross it. The rocky ridges here almost reach the water’s surface at one point, and these trapped rocks help explain why dozens of debris are found in the area.
For the first time, archaeologists on this mission were able to create a detailed bathymetric map of the seafloor around Keith Reef, allowing them to view three newly discovered shipwrecks. They set out with the new research vessel Alfred Merlin and used a robot called Hilarion and multi-beam sonar to gather as much information as possible about the area.
The first of the newly found remains is the wreck of a large motorized metal ship from the late 19th or early 20th century. No traces of cargo were found on board, suggesting that no cargo was being carried or that the cargo was perishable. There is also no indication that any lifeboats were present, suggesting that the crew were able to escape before the ship sank.
The second wreck is about the same age, but made of wood and probably not motorized. Again, no cargo was found, and since this wreck is smaller (15 meters long), the team speculates that it may have been a fishing vessel.
However, the third and final new discovery is much older than the others. The team says the ship, possibly a Roman merchant ship, was dated between the end of the 1st century BC and the middle of the 2nd century AD. It is thought to have carried wine, as some amphora remains were also found.
Alongside the incredible new finds, the team had the opportunity to closely examine several other shipwrecks near the Italian coast that had previously been documented by US explorers in the 1990s.
Bringing together 28 experts from Algeria, Croatia, Egypt, France, Italy, Morocco, Spain and Tunisia, the mission was coordinated by UNESCO as part of a broader goal of preserving underwater heritage. “Underwater heritage is vulnerable to exploitation, trawling, smuggling and the effects of climate change, so this mission was aimed at identifying the precise site where many shipwrecks were found and documenting all artifacts,” UNESCO summarizes in a statement.
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