Centuries of Maritime Disasters Revealed in 328-Foot Ship Graveyard Discovered off Ancient Greek City of Ptolemais

Archaeologists discover a massive ship graveyard off the coast of Libya, revealing centuries of maritime disasters near the 2,000-year-old city of Ptolemais.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 28, 2026, 1:23 PM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from Maria Mocerino, Culture News

The Return to a Submerged Metropolis

After a 13-year hiatus caused by the Libyan civil war, researchers from the University of Warsaw returned to the ancient city of Ptolemais in 2023 to resume one of the most significant underwater excavations in North Africa. Ptolemais, once a major defense capital in the Cyrenaica region named after Ptolemy III, was partially reclaimed by the Mediterranean Sea centuries ago due to rising water levels and seismic activity. The team’s recent efforts have focused on the city’s submerged infrastructure, revealing a wealth of ancient port facilities, columns, and road systems that have been hidden beneath the waves for nearly two millennia.

A Treacherous Trap for Ancient Merchants

The most significant find of the recent campaign is a 328-foot-long ship graveyard situated within a shallow, jagged rock formation. According to lead researcher Piotr Jaworski, the site acted as a natural trap for merchant vessels attempting to approach the city from the east. The concentration of wreckage suggests that many ships, unable to navigate the shallow hazards, were lost in the same location over a vast span of time. This "disaster zone" has provided archaeologists with a unique chronological cross-section of the cargo and maritime technology that once fueled the Greco-Roman economy in Northern Africa.

Artifacts of Trade and Daily Life

Among the debris scattered along the seafloor, researchers recovered numerous artifacts that offer a glimpse into the city's commercial past. Finds include a bronze aequipodium—a Roman balance scale weight shaped like a woman's head and filled with lead—and a variety of amphorae used for transporting goods. In a rare discovery, one of the recovered amphorae contained the crystallized remains of ancient wine. These items, currently undergoing laboratory analysis, confirm Ptolemais's role as a bustling hub where luxury goods and agricultural products from across the empire were traded and taxed.