The YEAR'S BEST Ancient Underwater Discoveries (2025)

For regular videos on ancient cultures and forgotten civilizations, please subscribe. The sea has always hidden secrets of the ancient world. Storms, earthquakes, and rising waters swallowed whole cities, temples, and ships, leaving them buried beneath the waves for centuries. But today, archaeologists armed with new technologies are finding them again. I've gone through the reports from over the past year and picked out what I think are the top 10 ancient underwater discoveries of the past year. This is an ancient history channel, so I've chosen to concentrate on the ancient period. Join me as I count them down for you. Starting with number 10, submerged stone bridge in Genovvesa cave. In 2024, a team of geologists and archaeologists working in Genovesa cave on the island of Mayorca revealed one of the most surprising underwater finds of the year. A stone paved path and bridge-like structure now lying just over a meter below sea level. Researchers used underwater excavation, photoggramometry, and Useries dating of mineral growth to pin down when the structure was built. And that evidence points to construction between 8,000 and 7,600 years ago during the late Neolithic to early Calcolithic. Large limestone blocks were carefully fitted together to form a raised platform leading into the cave. The structure would have connected the shoreline to what was once a dry chamber inside, implying that the site was intentionally modified for human use thousands of years earlier than previously believed. Until now, the earliest confirmed human presence on Mayorca dated to around 4,400 years ago. The Genovvesa bridge pushes that timeline back by at least a millennium, offering direct proof that people reached and settled the Balearics much earlier than expected. It also demonstrates fairly sophisticated stonework techniques at the time. Number nine, Roman breakwater at San Feliche Churchio. In June 2025, underwater archaeologists announced the discovery of a Roman breakwater off the coast of San Feliche Churchio about 90 km south of Rome. The find came during a survey of the seabed aimed at mapping submerged coastal infrastructure and clarifying the layout of ancient ports along Italy's western seabboard. Divers combined traditional excavation with photoggramometry and drone surveys to document the site in detail. And what they found was the submerged remains of a massive stone breakwater built of carefully placed blocks that once formed part of a harbor complex. Its submersion was the result of long-term coastal subsidance and rising sea levels which over time drowned what had been a bustling port installation. The team also identified traces of associated structures that may have been warehouses or other service buildings connected with maritime trade. But this discovery is significant because it proves that San Felichi Churchio was home to a far more substantial Roman harbor than previously known. The breakwater scale also demonstrates the engineering skills the Romans had to protect ships from rough seas and it gives us insight into the infrastructure that supported Rome's maritime economy. Number eight, the 10,000 plate shipwreck. In late 2024, DKL University in Ismir with the support of Turkeykey's Ministry of Culture and Tourism launched the Blue Heritage Project, an ambitious initiative to document shipwrecks in the Aian using multi-beam sonar scanning, robotic submersibles, and 3D photoggramometry. The project's goal is to catalog ancient trade routes and create a permanent digital archive of submerged cultural heritage. One of the most striking finds came when researchers identified a late fifth century CE merchant vessel lying about 40 m deep off the coast of Ivalik. When divers examined the site, they found an astonishing cargo around 10,000 ceramic plates, dishes, and bowls still clustered in stacks of 15 to 20 just as they had been packed more than 1,500 years ago. Alongside this mass of table wear were a handful of aerai suggesting the ship had been carrying a mixed load but dominated by everyday ceramics. Photoggramometry revealed the bulk of the cargo still lying undisturbed on the seafloor protected by sediment. The discovery is significant because it represents the largest ceramic cargo ever documented on a shipwreck in the Mediterranean. It's evidence of large-scale ceramic trade in antiquity, and it reveals important shipping routes linking North Africa, Cyprus, and Anatolia. Number seven, the Yadrasan ceramic wreck. This is another one from Turkey. In mid 2025, Turkeykey's Ministry of Culture and Tourism under its Heritage for the Future initiative began a systematic survey of underwater wrecks along the Mediterranean coast. The goal was to document, map, and excavate submerged heritage using modern technology. During this project, archaeologists located a remarkably preserved shipwreck near Adrasan off the coast of Antalya. Minister Mechhmed Nuri Ersoy even joined one of the dives to inspect the sensational discovery firsthand. The site lying between 33 and 46 m deep revealed a ship dating to the late Hellenistic or early Roman period, roughly the 2n century B.C.E. to 1st century CE. Hundreds of ceramic items, including plates, bowls, trays, and eastern sealatoear were found still neatly nested and coated in raw clay. This ancient packing technique preserved their vivid colors and surface designs almost perfectly. So, this was similar to the last shipwreck I told you about, but this find is even more exceptional because first, it provides unique insight into ancient cargo packing and shipping logistics for fragile commodities, and second, the pristine preservation of the ceramics gives us a rare and vivid look into classical daily life and production techniques. Number six, more of the port of Aini. In October 2024, an international team of underwater archaeologists returned to the submerged site of Aini near to in the Argalid as part of a multi-year research program directed by the effort of underwater antiquities of Greece in collaboration with the Swedish Institute at Athens and partner universities. Using highresolution photoggramometry, the team set out to investigate a key sector on the northwestern edge of an artificial platform long thought to have been part of the city's ancient harbor. Their goal was to document the port's architecture in detail and recover material that could clarify its date of construction and use. The work revealed substantial architectural remains of the harbor infrastructure, including collapsed stone blocks and building fragments. The significance of these discoveries lies in confirming that Asini's harbor was more than just a simple key. Here, there was a complex facility that may have included rooms or buildings on the platform itself. The finds help clarify Asini's role in maritime trade across multiple historical periods and highlight how sophisticated port engineering was part of Mediterranean commerce. Number five, more of the Antiithra shipwreck. Now, I'm sure you've heard of the Antiqua mechanism. It came from the Antiqua shipwreck. The boat sank around 65 B.CE. Well, investigation of that site is not done. In mid 2025, the Swiss School of Archaeology in Greece, backed by the Greek Ministry of Culture and the Ephrit of Underwater Antiquities, uh launched the latest phase of a 5-year excavation campaign at the Antither Shipwreck site. The mission's goals included retrieving newly discovered ship components and documenting them with advanced methods such as closed circuit rebreathers, underwater drones, 3D photoggramometry, and on-site GIS mapping. All to better understand ancient ship building and life aboard such vessels. The expedition yielded striking new finds. Divers recovered three articulated fragments of the hall which confirmed that the boat builders used the shellfirst construction method. This was standard in the Mediterranean between the 4th and 1st centuries B.CE. Analysis of the wood identified it as elm and oak with preliminary dating around 235 B.CE. Alongside the hall remains, archaeologists documented scattered Kian M4i along with a terracotta mortar likely used by crew for food preparation and fragments of a marble statue base preserving the lower part of a nude figure. No new parts of the Antichra mechanism were found, but the season's discoveries do give us rare physical evidence of ancient ship building techniques and vessel structure and deepen our understanding of maritime cargo composition and daily life aboard. Number four, archaic shipwreck at Santa Maria del Focalo. This summer, archaeologists from the University of Odina and the superintendency of the Sea of the Sicilian region excavated a newly identified wreck off the coast of Santa Maria del Fukcallo in Espika, Sicily. Even older than the last three I told you about. The discovery came during the fifth season of the Caucana project, which aims to reconstruct the coastal and underwater landscape of southeastern Sicily. Using excavation trenches, photoggramometry, and 3D modeling, the team recorded hall remains buried under sand and boulders just 6 m below the surface. The ship dates to between the sixth and fifth centuries B.C.E., a period when Greek and Carthaginian forces contested Sicily's waters. Its hall is of the shellbuilt type, meaning the load was carried by the planks and not the frame. Although fragile after centuries of exposure to marine organisms, the vessel still preserves enough detail for technical and paleobotanical study. This find is significant because it provides direct material evidence of trade and naval traffic in the archaic to classical transition when Sicily's colonies were at the center of Mediterranean geopolitics. It's one of the rare wrecks of this age studied in seu and it offers new data on ancient ship construction, trade, and the contested seas of the central Mediterranean. Number three, Bayai submerged bath house. In August 2025, archaeologists at Italy's Compi Flegre Archaeological Park announced the discovery of a remarkably preserved Roman bath complex within the submerged ruins of Bayai, the luxurious resort town on the Bay of Naples. Divers employed 3D photoggramometry and stratographic recording techniques during a survey of zone B, an area long suspected to contain private villas swallowed by the sea due to volcanic braicism. Their purpose was to better understand Bayai's urban sprawl and the scale of its elite residences. Well, the survey revealed a private bath house dating to the first century BCE. Preserved features include an intact mosaic floor with a hypocost heating system underneath the that once chneled hot air under the floor as well as decorated wall plaster. A small circular chamber was identified as a laconicum or dry heat sauna. Interestingly, the complex may have belonged to the villa of the famous Roman orator Marcus Tullius Cicero. Though further study of associated ceramics and construction techniques is needed to confirm this attribution, this discovery matters because it gives us rare physical evidence of the opulent private leisure culture enjoyed by Rome's elite. Unlike the public baths found across the empire, this complex belonged to a private residence and maybe to a famous person. It also demonstrates how Bay continues to surprise archaeologists with new underwater revelations. Number two, artifacts of the Abukir Bay. This year, Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities in collaboration with maritime archaeologists initiated a new phase of underwater excavation in Abuir Bay, targeting areas just beyond the known site of Heracleion, also known as Thoness and Canopus. The purpose of the mission was twofold. to advance research into the city's history and to secure artifacts for conservation and public display. Using sonar scanning, targeted diving, and remote operated systems, the team found that these cities extended further underwater than previously known. Divers identified limestone foundations of stable buildings, a 125 m long key, and the wreck of a merchant vessel. They also brought to the surface artifacts previously known, including a massive granite statue fragment measuring over 2 m tall, though originally perhaps up to 5 m, believed to date from the TMIC or late Roman period. They recovered a quartz sphinx inscribed with the name of Ramsy's II and a marble figure of a Roman nobleman. The blend of feronic, tameic, and Roman artifacts illustrates how the city stood at the crossroads of cultures and empires. This discovery is important because it expands our understanding of how far Thonus Heracleion's urban footprint once reached and it marks the most significant underwater archaeological find in this region since the early 2000s. And number one, Bronze Age Canaanite shipwreck. During a maritime environmental survey in 2023, the energy company, an Energian, employed an underwater robot to map the seafloor roughly 90 km off the eastern Mediterranean coast. But the ROV's cameras came across something unexpected. A massive cluster of ancient jugs lying on the seabed. Enter the archaeologists. This past year, they retrieved two intact Canaanite M4i. These are storage vessels used for transporting oil, wine, or food while preserving the rest of the wreck in C2 for further study. Although much of the ship's structure remains buried in sediment, sonar imaging and robotic surveys have confirmed its presence and the layout of its cargo strewn across the ocean floor. The shipwreck lying 1.8 km beneath the surface dates to the late Bronze Age around 1300 B.CE. This find is groundbreaking. Not only is it the oldest known deep sea shipwreck discovered in the Eastern Mediterranean, but its depth and location fundamentally challenge previous assumptions that Bronze Age mariners navigated only by hugging coastlines. Remember, this is 90 km from the coast. Now, it looks like they employed celestial navigation using the sun and stars to traverse open seas some 3,300 years ago. The discovery rewrites our understanding of ancient seafaring and navigation uh capabilities. So, there you have them. What I think are the 10 most exciting underwater discoveries of the past year. It just goes to show that much of the ancient world is still waiting for us beneath the waves. Next month, I'll surface a very different list. The creepiest ancient finds of the year. From unsettling burials to eerie artifacts, you won't want to miss it. So, if you enjoyed this countdown, make sure you're subscribed. You might like my little ebooklet, Why Ancient History Matters. It's designed to persuade people that the subject is important, even in the modern world. You might also wish to use it to help spread the word. So, feel free to share it with someone you know. It's free for anyone who wants it. I've left a link in the description box below the video for you to grab a copy. Catch you later.