In 1998, an underwater survey conducted off the coast of Israel by the Israeli Antiquities Authority (IAA), discovered the wreckage of a Hellenistic or Early Roman ship. The ship is believed to have sunk sometime in the 1st or 2nd century BC. The wreck itself is located approximately 100 m off the coast of Ashkelon, Israel at a depth of around 3–4 m in the Mediterranean Sea. The city of Ashkelon was once a bustling trade port however multiple ancient reports claim that Ashkelon was a poor site for a port, citing the frequent storms and lack of a safe harbor.