While swimming in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Israel, Gideon Harris unexpectedly stumbled upon a remarkable discovery. Little did he know that this uneventful event would lead experts to the remains of a Roman ship and its magnificent cargo.

As he gracefully glided through the water, Harris spotted what appeared to be several large pieces of smooth stone stuck in the sand on the sea bottom, all of which looked like they’d been carved by human hands. He then reported the find to the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), which launched an underwater search to get a closer look at the mysterious objects. What they found was a huge collection of 1,800-year-old marble stone columns, which had apparently been carried in a Roman-era cargo ship before being wrecked in a terrible storm.

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“We have been aware of the existence of this shipwrecked cargo for a long time,” Israel Antiquities Authority Director of Underwater Archaeology Koby Sharvit said in an IAA Facebook post announcing the news of the Roman ship. “But we didn’t know its exact whereabouts as it was covered over by sand, and we therefore could not investigate it.”

Read more: Ancient Origins