A merchant ship sank about 2,100 years ago near Antalya, Turkey, carrying a full cargo that has recently been recovered by divers. Underwater archaeologists from Akdeniz University in Antalya described in their 2025 field report, published in March 2026, the recovery of a nearly complete cargo of fine tableware from the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea off the Turkish coast. The Roman ceramics from the Adrasan wreck, which sank over 21 centuries ago, are now being added to the Antalya Museum's collection. The divers carefully removed the cargo plate by plate, recovering 6,511 intact pieces, including plates, bowls, and trays, all mixed together. The excavators identified 122 different shapes and sizes, ranging from fruit bowls to fish platters. Additionally, thousands of fragments were sent to the Kemer restoration laboratory. The wreck lies between 42 and 55 meters deep, requiring divers to work with the support of underwater robots. The tableware comes from the workshops of Rhosos, an ancient city now known as Arsuz, located in the Turkish province of Hatay. Amphorae, or large storage jars, found nearby originate from the Aegean Sea, suggesting the ship loaded its cargo in multiple ports before sailing along the coast. The plates were stacked in wooden crates, and the crates also contained clay packed between each piece to fill the gaps. This packing absorbed the shocks when the ship hit the seabed, allowing the plates to land without breaking. The sand then covered them, preserving their edges and feet. The Turkish Ministry of Culture attributes the remarkable preservation of such a complete set to this careful packaging. Coins minted in Antioch, found in the cargo, date the shipwreck to the middle of the first century BCE. The ship likely departed from Rhosos heading for Italy, but hit a reef during a storm. This reconstruction remains a working hypothesis that further excavation must confirm. Marcus Tullius Cicero, a famous Roman orator, mentioned this tableware in a letter to his friend Atticus in 50 BCE. Cicero recounts that he ordered pieces from Rhosos for himself, placing these ceramics on the most prominent Roman tables, which displayed social status not only by the food served but also by the origin of the tableware. The Roman tables were supplied by a network that this cargo helps to reveal. Coins from Antioch, ceramics from Rhosos, and Aegean amphorae together suggest an itinerary linking ancient Syria, the Aegean Sea, Greece, and the Italian coast. The archaeologists see this as evidence of an organized trade in luxury goods, rather than random coastal trade. The Adrasan excavation continues, and ten other wrecks were identified in 2025, four off Fethiye and six in the Antalya province. At Kemer, the fragments are cleaned, consolidated, and then brought up piece by piece. The 6,511 intact plates and bowls are already in the hands of the Antalya Museum.