Sicilian Court Orders Region to Complete Reward Process for 1999 Marausa Roman Shipwreck Discovery

Key facts

• CGARS ruling no. 660 of 29 September 2026 orders Sicily's regional services to complete the reward procedure for the Marausa wreck discovery
• Fabio di Bono and Dario d'Amico spotted the wreck on 11 August 1999 off Marausa, Sicily, at two meters' depth and reported it the following day
• The wreck is a third-century AD Roman merchant ship, raised in 2011, restored in Salerno and displayed at the Baglio Anselmi Archaeological Museum in Marsala since 13 April 2019
• The divers initially sought 500,000 euros; the TAR rejected their claim before CGARS overturned that decision
• CGARS awarded 6,000 euros in legal costs but set no reward amount, leaving quantification to the Region
• Under Italian law the reward cannot exceed one quarter of the value of the discovered goods
• CGARS ruled that the divers' later involvement in site protection and research does not rule out a fortuitous discovery
• The reward must factor in all archaeological finds subsequent to the divers' report, per the principle of causal, topographic and archaeological continuity
• In France, maritime cultural property without a traceable owner belongs to the State, with rewards capped at 25 percent of exploitation proceeds over thirty years