2,000-Year-Old Roman Shipwreck Discovered With Treasures Still Clustered Where It Sank

Archaeologists recently found well-preserved ancient treasures at the bottom of a Swiss lake — and the treasures remain close to where the ship sank.

The shipwreck was found in Lake Neuchâtel in Switzerland, some 75 miles southwest of Zurich, by a team of Swiss archaeologists, according to news agency Jam Press.

A team of excavators from the Cantonal Archaeology Office of Neuchâtel (OARC), the Octopus Foundation and the Archaeological Service of the State of Fribourg conducted the search in March 2025, though officials didn't announce the finds until last month.

The cargo, which dates to between 20 and 50 A.D., was once part of a Roman merchant vessel traveling on Lake Neuchâtel.

The treasure includes hundreds of finely crafted dishes, bowls, cups and plates that were produced across the Swiss Plateau, the central lowland region between the Jura Mountains and the Alps.