Roman Wrecks of Madrague de Giens

A large Roman merchantman wrecked about 70 to 50 BC off the Giens peninsula near Hyeres, southern France, excavated from 1972 under Andre Tchernia and Patrice Pomey. The ship, roughly 40 meters long with a double hull planking, carried an estimated 6,000 to 7,000 Dressel 1B wine amphorae from Campania plus black-gloss tableware. It is a reference wreck for late-Republican wine export, hull construction, and amphora stowage in multiple tiers. The cargo points to the scale of Italian wine shipped to Gaul.