A 2,100-year-old Roman shipwreck carrying about 500 amphorae has been discovered 3 miles off the coast of Mazara del Vallo in Sicily. Below me was a vast expanse of amphorae,” De Mola said in an Instagram post accompanying video footage of the discovery. In 2021, another Roman vessel dating from the second century BC was discovered off the coast of Palermo. Before that, an almost intact Roman vessel dating from the second century BC was discovered in 2013 off the coast of Liguria. Italian police recover hundreds of illegally removed ancient Roman amphorae each year, many of them found in the homes or warehouses of collectors and art dealers.