The wreck of Procchio, a Roman ship sunk on Elba
In 1967 a storm brought to light the wreck, in the northern part of the Island of Elba in the Gulf of Procchio (La Guardiola), the remains of a small Roman cargo ship in good condition. The presence of the wreck had long been known to the inhabitants of the area who recovered the sulfur loaves for the vineyards.
A few meters deep (currently not visible because it is covered in sand) on a sandy seabed near Campo all’Aia, Gino Brambilla carried out the first recoveries followed by an underwater reconnaissance campaign coordinated by the Superintendency. In the 1969 survey, an exceptionally preserved hull was found for a length of approximately 16 metres. The ship, which must have measured about twenty meters intact, was probably a small coastal transport vessel, with a single mast on which to hoist a square sail. Bricks with traces of combustion were found on the deck, in the place where the fire was lit to meet the needs of the ship.
The aft cabin
Roof tiles and tiles fixed with copper nails were perhaps intended to cover the aft cabin. The hull was covered with lead plates up to the waterline at maximum load; the coating had to protect the planking from shipworms (marine molluscs that gnaw at submerged wood) and with its weight it contributed to stability. The construction technique was of the “load-bearing hull” type with the planking held together by softwood tabs, joined by pegs and fixed to the frames with large copper nails and numerous hardwood pins. The wreck, currently oriented with the bow towards the north, was perhaps surprised by a storm and sank in the harbor of Procchio together with her cargo between 130 and 200 A.D
The on-board equipment
Among the finds to be attributed to the ship’s equipment, the hull yielded a still sealed jar which retained its contents of olives and a copper situla with notable traces of use. Three lamps were found next to the right side of the hull, one of which, of African production, bears the IUNI ALEXI stamp. Numerous fragments of commonly used canteen and kitchen pottery together with some grinding mortars completed the on-board equipment, to meet the daily needs of the crew. At the bottom of the hold, under the copper situla, perhaps used for caulking, the skeletal remains of a small dog and a large rat were found.
At the time of the discovery, a rolled hawser in good condition was recovered from the sandy seabed. Heavy and large granite pebbles were perhaps used as ballast, in order to distribute the weight of the ship. The use of ballast was necessary to balance the weight of the load. Incompetence in stowage operations was a not infrequent cause of shipwrecks even in the protected waters of ports.
The wreck of Procchio a Roman ship (150 – 200 AD)
The hull of the Procchio wreck (Roman ship), lay at approx. 30 m from the shore, at a depth of 2 m, and from 1967 to 1969 much of its material, also scattered in a large area around, was recovered by the Archaeological Superintendency of Tuscany and by the Teseo Tesei Underwater Club. The ship, originally well preserved because it was buried under a layer of sand and mud, is today in precarious conditions. From the surveys carried out at the time of recovery it appears that it was a cargo ship, just under 20 m long and with a loading capacity of around 60 tonnes. Numerous fragments of the planking were recovered from it (wood, nails and lead sheets that covered the hull externally. Some tiles belonged to the roof of the control cabin; heavy sulfur blocks and a box of magnesia usta were probably an integral part of the load.
The goods transported were otherwise heterogeneous, both in quality and origin. The amphorae, of four shapes (Pelichet 47, Africana IA, Dressel 14 and Beltran II B), belong to three different production areas: Gaul, Africa and Spain. The first type was used for the transport of wine, while the African ones contained figs, the seeds of which were found. The Dressel 14 and Beltran II B forms were instead used for fish sauces.
Ivory statuette depicting Bacchus and Pan
The presence of a MATVR stamp,. on the neck of a Pelichet 47, and the particular profile of the Africana date the wreck to the second half of the 2nd century AD. Some glass jars, sometimes preciously decorated, were certainly part of the cargo; equally an ivory statuette, depicting Bacchus and Pan, which has been hypothesized to have served as a stopper for a perfume holder. Among the ceramic finds, intended partly for use on board and partly for cargo, there are some oil lamps, limited tableware and much common and kitchen pottery, of African, Italic and Gallic production.
The ship, used due to its characteristics for small to medium cabotage routes, testifies to the presence of routes along the northern coast of the island. The variety of goods it brought, and the particular quality of some of them, may suggest that it was intended to supply the large patrician villas that had been built in the area for some time. Most of the materials are now exhibited at the Archaeological Museum of Marciana
How to reach the Procchio wreck
The wreck is located in the stretch of sea of the Guardiola . Currently it is not visible, because it is covered by sand.