FAVIGNANA - Palermo's Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage (TPC) have made the spectacular discovery of four ancient amphorae at the bottom of the sea off Favignana, an island near Trapani.

  The haul consisted of three Italian clay amphorae from the foruth century and a third century Punic amphora, all believed to have come from an ancient shipwreck off the island's Bue Marino beach.

  The discovery was made by the Carabinieri TPC in conjunction with the Superintendency of the Sea, the marine corps of the Carabinieri of Messina and boats from the Naval detachment in Favignana. Diving units had scoured the sea bed, on the basis of information provided by archaeologists from the regional authority and Carabinieri TPC, and identified the amphorae.

  The area of the discovery, around the western tip of Sicily, is of significant importance to archaeologists and is being explored further, in light of these discoveries, for evidence of the important navigation routes between the various major Mediterranean cities, in an important historical period of naval trade.

  This operation is part of a wider commitment by the Carabinieri TPC and Superintendency of the Sea to explore and protect Sicilian cultural heritage.

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