Ventotene is a small island off the Campanian coastline, known as Pandataria in Roman times. Its coastline is notorious for sudden storms and dangerous currents, making it a perfect island prison, most famously for Julia, the daughter of the Emperor Augustus, who was exiled there for adultery.
But Ventotene is also important because it lay along the ancient trade route between Rome and North Africa. In 2008, archaeologists found five trade ships that fell victim to the perils of the area. Well preserved, with almost intact cargos, they are perfect for studying Roman trade and vessels during the imperial period.
Underwater Rescue Mission
The initial team of underwater archaeologists were exploring the region to locate and secure potential underwater sites of interest against looters who had been plundering the area of treasures and destroying valuable archaeology. Using sonar and mini robotic submarines, they discovered five “high priority” features 150 metres below the sea, submerged in the seabed that turned out to be five Roman trade ships, wrecked between the 1st BC and 5th century AD.
All the ships sank without capsizing, preserving much of the cargo in situ. Once on the seabed, the gentler currents at the bottom of the sea prevented the wrecks from breaking up. This meant the vessels and their cargoes were in an excellent state of preservation, making them the perfect subjects for studying Roman trade.
Roman Trading Vessels
The earliest ship was 18 metres long and 5 metres wide. The archaeologists discovered it was carrying a cargo of Campanian wine, with many of its amphorae still intact and in their original positions in the hold.
Three of the ships dated to the first century AD, with the largest two both carrying mixed cargos from Italy. The biggest ship’s cargo consisted of wine, glassware and metal, while the other transported mortars for grinding grain and Campanian wine. The final first-century vessel was travelling from Baetica in Spain, as indicated by its cargo of Spanish amphorae. Inside the jars was fish sauce or garum.
The youngest ship sank in the fifth century AD. Measuring 12 metres by 4 metres, it was also the smallest vessel. Well preserved, it again carried garum, but this time the vessel originated from North Africa. Other finds on board the ships included kitchen equipment.
2010 Expedition
In 2010, a team of underwater archaeologists led by Professor Timothy Gambin returned to the site for five days to continue profiling the area of the shipwrecks — and to search for others.
Among the finds recovered was one of the amphorae, which was taken to the museum of Ventotene for restoration and display. However, the amphorae’s relevance extended beyond trade. One of the conclusions reached by Professor Gambin was that the cargo of amphorae probably doomed the ships when they hit heavy storms off the coastline. This is because the amphorae were used as ballast, and when heavy waves hit the vessels, the ballast shifted, capsizing and sinking the ships.
