Divers uncover ancient treasures linked to Roman giant who helped shape American history

The recovery was recently announced by Turkish officials, the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA) reported Sept. 28.

Pictures show divers working among piles of ancient pottery, with ceramic plates and bowls scattered across the sandy seabed.

The artifacts include 122 different forms and sizes of plates, bowls and trays, including dishes used for nuts, soup and fish.

The discovery is particularly significant because the ceramics are believed to have originated in Rhosus, a production center mentioned in the writings of Cicero - though there's no evidence that the recovered dishes belonged to Cicero himself.

In a letter to his friend Atticus in 50 B.C., the statesman wrote that he had ordered ceramic vessels from Rhosus for him, according to AA.

Taco Terpstra, a professor of classics and history at Northwestern University, told Fox News Digital that the discovery offers an unusual opportunity to connect ancient artifacts with historical writings.

"It's unusual that we have so much of this type of ceramic," Terpstra said.

The combination of archaeological evidence, ancient coins and historical writings makes the discovery especially rare, he said.

Terpstra also described the ceramics as "the equivalent of fine china" today.

"This is not ordinary tableware," he said. "This is not the kind of stuff that ordinary Romans would have on their table."

Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said the ceramics were remarkably well-preserved because clay had been packed between them before they were placed in wooden crates - a detail that caught Terpstra's attention.

The historian suggested the material may have been unfired clay, although he noted that the report did not specify its exact form.

"I imagine they meant unfired soft clay, which, when the ship went down, preserved the ceramics to a very high degree," Terpstra said.

"It's quite rare for all of it … [all] the lines of evidence to come together, like monetary, archeological, literary," Terpstra said.