News from the ancient world
Underwater archaeology is the study of ships, harbours, settlements and other remains that now lie beneath seas, lakes and rivers. Divers and remote equipment record sites in place, and objects are raised only when they can be conserved. Shipwrecks are the best-known part of the field: a sunken vessel can preserve a cargo as it was loaded, giving a dated record of what was carried, made and traded. The Mediterranean holds many wrecks from the Bronze Age through the Roman and Byzantine periods.
Recent finds in our stories cover much of that span. Off Kekova Island in Turkey, at least 30 storage jars up to 4,700 years old lie about 30 metres down, some probably made in the Jordan Valley, although the wooden hull has not survived. Near Mljet in Croatia, a ship of the 7th or 8th century carried more than 600 grams of gold and a signet ring showing a Heraclian emperor. In Scotland, a Neolithic crannog on Lewis was recorded above and below the waterline with a new shallow-water camera method.
Bronze Age · c. 2700–2400 BC · Kekova Island, Antalya, Turkey
At least 30 storage jars, some probably made in the Jordan Valley, lie about 30 metres down near Kekova Island, though the wooden hull has not survived.
Byzantium · Late 7th to early 8th century AD · Polače, Mljet, Dubrovnik-Neretva County, Croatia
The 7th or 8th-century ship that sank near Mljet carried more than 600 grams of gold, jewelled belt sets and a signet ring showing a Heraclian emperor.
Stone Age · Neolithic, before 3000 BC · Loch Bhorgastail, Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides, Scotland, United Kingdom
Archaeologists recorded the Neolithic island above and below the waterline as one structure, using a new shallow-water camera method described in Advances in Archaeological Practice.
Greece & Rome · Roman imperial period · Gallipoli, Puglia, Italy
Italy's financial police spotted the merchant ship on a routine patrol in June 2025, and the find was kept secret for months to protect it from looters.