Coal miners working at the Drmno surface mine in Serbia have accidentally unearthed the remarkably preserved remains of an ancient Roman ship, believed to date back to the 3rd or 4th century AD. The vessel was discovered about 1.6 kilometers (1 mile) from the Roman city of Viminacium, a major military base and frontier settlement of the Roman Empire.

The ship likely belonged to a Roman river fleet and was used to transport supplies along smaller waterways connecting the Danube River to Viminacium. Its remains were buried beneath roughly 8 meters (25 feet) of silt, hidden for centuries until the mining operation revealed them.

Measuring approximately 20 meters (65 feet) in length and 3.5 meters (12 feet) in width, the ship features a flat-bottomed design typical of Roman cargo barges. Experts believe it was built for practical river transport, capable of navigating shallow waters to deliver goods and resources vital to the settlement and its military operations.

This exceptional find, located about 50 kilometers (30 miles) east of modern-day Belgrade, offers new insight into Roman engineering, trade logistics, and the importance of river transport in sustaining frontier towns like Viminacium.