A group of scientists have discovered four ancient shipwrecks off of Zannone, a tiny Italian island, which appear to have their cargoes of wine and oil intact.

The skeletons of these wrecks, which date back from the first century BC up until the fifth to seventh century AD, are at a depth of approximately 165 meters beneath the waves, which saved them from being disturbed by fishermen for centuries.
“The deeper you go, the more likely you are to find complete wrecks,” an official from the archaeological services section of the Italian culture ministry, Annalisa Zaratinni said.

The wooden hulks have all but disappeared, as tiny marine organisms used it as food. However the skeletons as well as the cargoes are still in the same positions as the ay they sank.

“The ships sank, they came to rest at the bottom of the sea, the wood disappeared and you find the whole ship, with the entire cargo. Nothing has been taken away,” Annalisa Zaratini explained.

These ancient wrecks were discovered by the the Aurora Trust, a US foundation which promotes the exploration of the Mediterranean seabed, and Italian authorities.

The wrecks, which were about 18 meters in length, had been carrying large jars of wine from Italy, and other cargo which included olive oil, fruit, and even a fish sauce.

Another wreck was discovered, and appears to have been carrying bricks for building. It is not clear as of yet, just what led these ships to their demise, and there have been no human remains found, making these apparent “ghost” ships.