An unusual shipwreck, dating back 2,500 years, was discovered by divers off the coast of Sicily, containing a variety of mysterious artifacts.

An underwater excavation of a 2,500-year-old shipwreck off the coast of Sicily recently uncovered prehistoric tools and ancient anchors.

The Superintendence of the Sea (SopMare) announced the discovery of a shipwreck dating back to the fifth- or sixth-century B.C. near Ragusa, a city in southeast Sicily, on Dec. 9.

The excavation, which lasted three weeks and ended in September, was carried out by the University of Udine and SopMare, with the Italian Coast Guard providing technical and logistical support for the operations.

The shipwreck was discovered "6 meters deep, encased in sand and rocks."

The hull was constructed using the "on the shell" technique, featuring beam boards linked by tenons and mortise, providing the structure with self-supporting functionality.

The discovery of prehistoric lithics and seventh-century anchors near the wreck was explained in a Facebook post translated from Italian to English by SopMare.

The wreckage had two iron anchor cores of type 'T' that likely date back to the seventh century A.D., and four lithics from the prehistoric era, as stated.

"Underwater photogrammetry enabled the creation of a three-dimensional model of the waste, and the collected samples will facilitate further paleobotanic analysis to investigate the materials used."

The long history of trade in the region has resulted in numerous shipwreck discoveries in the waters off of Italy and Greece.

In April, the SopMare discovered a "strange rock" that was actually a centuries-old helmet.

The helmet, estimated to be from the late 1400s to 1600s, was discovered 16 feet deep [5 meters] in the Ionian Sea near Vendicari island.