A remarkable underwater discovery off the coast of Libya is offering new clues about ancient Mediterranean trade and maritime disasters. Archaeologists working near the ancient city of Ptolemais have identified what researchers describe as an ancient “ship graveyard”—a stretch of seabed scattered with ship remains, anchors, amphorae, and cargo fragments extending more than 100 meters.
The discovery, made by a Polish archaeological mission from the University of Warsaw, suggests that multiple vessels sank in the same coastal zone over centuries while attempting to reach the once-bustling port city.
Located several kilometers east of Ptolemais’ ancient harbor, the underwater site contains a dense concentration of artifacts dating back to antiquity. Rather than a single wreck, the distribution of materials indicates repeated shipwrecks, forming a long archaeological trail across the seabed.
According to the researchers, the pattern strongly suggests that this section of coastline posed a persistent hazard for ships navigating toward the harbor.
Dr. Piotr Jaworski, who leads the Polish research project in Ptolemais, noted that the scattered remains form a clearly visible line stretching along the sea floor.
“The distribution of artifacts clearly indicates that this was not the remains of a single ship,” he explained. “Several vessels must have been wrecked here over time.”
A Major Greek City on the North African Coast
The discoveries were made during a recent research season in northeastern Libya, where Polish archaeologists resumed fieldwork in 2023 after a thirteen-year interruption caused by the Libyan civil war.
In antiquity, Ptolemais was one of the most important urban centers in Cyrenaica, a historical region on Libya’s Mediterranean coast. Founded between the late fourth and third centuries BCE by rulers of the Ptolemaic dynasty, the city developed into a major commercial and cultural hub connecting North Africa with the wider Mediterranean world.
For centuries, ships carrying goods such as wine, olive oil, grain, and ceramics passed through its harbor. The newly discovered wreck zone may represent the remains of ships that failed to complete that journey.
Anchors, Amphorae, and a Rare Roman Weight
Underwater exploration was carried out by archaeologists and divers led by Professor Bartosz Kontny of the University of Warsaw’s Faculty of Archaeology. The team surveyed both the harbor area and coastal waters roughly four kilometers east of the city.
The seabed revealed an extraordinary collection of maritime artifacts. Archaeologists documented numerous anchors, fragments of ships, ceramic amphorae used in ancient trade, and various tools believed to have been used by sailors to inspect the sea floor.
One particularly intriguing object is a fragment of a Roman bronze balance weight known as an aequipondium. The artifact is shaped like a female head and filled with lead, which allowed it to function as a precise measuring weight used in commercial transactions.
Large numbers of amphorae were also found scattered across the seabed. These ceramic containers were the standard shipping vessels of the ancient Mediterranean, commonly used to transport wine, olive oil, fish sauce, and other goods.
Researchers believe one amphora recovered from the site may still contain traces of crystallized wine, currently undergoing laboratory analysis.
A Harbor Slowly Claimed by the Sea
Environmental changes appear to have played a crucial role in the formation of the underwater archaeological landscape.
Over the centuries, parts of the ancient port infrastructure were submerged due to rising sea levels in the Mediterranean and coastal shifts caused by earthquakes. These processes gradually pushed sections of the harbor and surrounding structures below the waterline.
While surveying the seabed, archaeologists identified submerged architectural elements including ancient columns, fragments of roads, and additional harbor installations now lying beneath the waves.
New Discoveries on the Acropolis
At the same time as the underwater research, another team of archaeologists was working on the acropolis of Ptolemais, located on a plateau roughly 300 meters above sea level.
There, researchers uncovered an unexpected feature: a previously unknown road designed for wheeled transport that led toward the summit of the plateau. The discovery surprised archaeologists, who had not anticipated such a substantial roadway connecting the city’s interior with the acropolis.
Along this route, the team also discovered a Roman milestone bearing a Greek inscription. Preliminary analysis dates the stone to the first half of the third century CE, during the reign of the Severan dynasty.
Twenty-Five Years of Polish Archaeology in Libya
Conservation work is also underway at the site. Specialists from the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw are cataloging and restoring frescoes discovered earlier in the city, including Byzantine wall paintings depicting a bearded male figure.
The ongoing project is approaching an important milestone. In 2026, Polish archaeologists will mark twenty-five years of research in Libya, a long-term mission that has steadily revealed the hidden history of Ptolemais.
Despite decades of work, vast areas of the ancient city remain unexplored both on land and beneath the sea. The newly identified shipwreck zone may become the focus of future maritime archaeological research.
For archaeologists, the waters around Ptolemais may still conceal many more vessels—and many more stories from the ancient Mediterranean world.
Serwis Rzeczypospolitej Polskie
Cover Image Credit: Serwis Rzeczypospolitej Polskie