The Porticello Wreck, Italy
Location - Near Porticello in Straits of Messina, Italy
Date - 5th century BC
Discovered - 1969
Excavated - 1970
Director - David I. Owen, University of Pennsylvania Museum
Cargo - Bronze statues and amphoras
“Only the Porticello wreck has yet been found from the 5th century B.C., when Greece was at her political, economic, and artistic acme. It is unfortunate that the ship was so heavily plundered that we have little idea of the cargo's lading (which might have told us the course of her last voyage), the proportion of the four amphora types to one another within the cargo, and their relationship to the remainder of the cargo. Also missing are large portions of two life-sized bronze statues that were part of the cargo. Nevertheless, the scraps the looters left behind can contribute significantly to our knowledge of maritime trade, art history, and technology of the 5th century.” - Cynthia J. Eiseman, 1976
