The first studies archaeological that were carried out determined that it was a ship from 1700 years ago, which left Cartagena – or Carthago Spartania to Rome-, and was shipwrecked in the IV sign.
The most exciting point of this discovery were the nearly 300 sealed amphorae that were found in the shipwreck, and which were in a very good state of preservation. A new study determined that the contents of many of these vessels were fish sauce, a very popular condiment at the time.
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The ship was traveling fully loaded.
Specifically, this is a sauce prepared from anchovies – as the well-known Worcestershire sauce is prepared today – known as liquamen, which in Roman times was a delicacy.
A unique discovery
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The director of the Institute of Archeology of the University of Barcelona, Miguel Ángel Cau Ontiveros, highlighted that a discovery of these characteristics is very unusual. What makes it even more unique is that there is no other discovery of a ship from the Carthago Spartania area, and very few from the 4th century.
The difficulty in studying the vessels was enormous, since the remains of the ship are located in shallow waters, which means that they have to fight against the waves to do any work.
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The discovery was a surprise due to its good state of conservation.
After years of studies, it was determined that most of the amphorae were loaded with anchovy sauce, while there were others with wine, oil and even olives preserved in vinegar. All the amphorae were labeled with painted inscriptions.
This discovery sheds a unique look at the way the Romans made a living and traded, especially in the Mediterranean area.
