Archaeologists working off the coast of Libya have identified an underwater “ship graveyard” near the ancient Greek city of Ptolemais. The seabed is littered with debris that points to repeated maritime disasters along a hazardous approach to the port. The scatter of wreckage extends for more than 100 meters and suggests several vessels went down over a long period. Rocks near the surface made the approach treacherous on what was once a busy harbour and trading hub in Cyrenaica, according to The Libya Observer.
The discovery is part of a broader return to the site by a University of Warsaw team. Fieldwork resumed in 2023 after a 12-year interruption caused by civil war. Researchers say the city, on land and underwater, may still hold significant undiscovered remains. They expect many years of investigation.
Naval grief
The newly documented line of artifacts appears to mark a route where ships repeatedly came to grief as they approached Ptolemais. The debris field points to multiple wrecks over an extended timeline. This strengthens the case that mariners faced enduring navigational difficulties in this corridor, according to Interesting Engineering.
The underwater landscape preserves elements of the port itself. Columns, roads, and ancient anchors are now partially submerged. Researchers describe rising Mediterranean Sea levels, seismic subsidence, and coastal collapses that inundated sections of the waterfront and its infrastructure over time.
In the sea, the team has recovered Roman scales known as aequipodium used in trade, amphorae, cargo remnants, coins, and even crystallized wine. A Roman milestone from the third century CE underscores the port’s integration with overland routes and imperial administration.
Until the Arab conquest
Ptolemais was a large Greek city in Cyrenaica founded in the late fourth or early third century BCE. It remained active until the Arab conquest in the seventh century CE. Its coastal position made it a conduit for goods and people, echoed by anchors and infrastructural remains underwater. Sea-level rise, earthquakes, coastal collapses, and seismic subsidence altered the shoreline. Part of the port area is now submerged and preserved beneath the waves.
The investigation also spans the city’s acropolis. Researchers have uncovered a previously unknown road designed for wheeled transport that climbs to the top of the plateau, which stands about 300 meters above sea level. The road’s engineering hints at organized movement of goods or personnel to the high ground. Nearby, the team documented remains of watchtowers thought to have formed part of the city’s defensive system.