Discover sunken treasure, Punic Wars battering ram, underwater city at Fernbank’s newest exhibit

Ancient shipwreck treasures, a Roman battering ram from the Punic Wars, and remains of an underwater city headline Fernbank Museum’s newest exhibit: “Sunken Treasures, Ancient Seas.”

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Sunken Treasures, Ancient Seas at Fernbank Museum “This exhibit really highlights maritime archeology and the cultural materials that are recovered from shipwrecks primarily around the island of Sicily off the coast of Italy,” Fernbank Museum’s Dr. Bobbi Hohmann told WSB-TV’s Nelson Hicks. “So we have things that focus on naval history, commerce and trade, (and) geopolitics. I think we have a little bit of something for everybody.” (Nelson Hicks)

Sunken Treasures, Ancient Seas at Fernbank Museum “We have a battering ram from a Roman ship, that was essentially used to ram the hull of a ship from Carthage,” Hohmann noted. “And that ship sank to the bottom of the ocean. From other historical documents, we know that (the) battering ram, which also sank to the bottom of the ocean, dates to the first Punic Wars. And the battle was actually March 10, 241 BCE.” (Nelson Hicks)

Sunken Treasures, Ancient Seas at Fernbank Museum “There was (a) Roman resort town called Bai, and it’s around Naples, and because of geological processes related to volcanism, that whole city has sunk to the bottom of the ocean,” Hohmann said. “And so the Italians are actually reconstructing these ancient mosaics underwater, same with the sculptures. They’re not planning to remove them and take them out and put them in a museum. So essentially, you can go and (enjoy) underwater tourism in this area and explore some of these sunken cities.” (Nelson Hicks)

“This exhibit really highlights maritime archeology and the cultural materials that are recovered from shipwrecks primarily around the island of Sicily off the coast of Italy,” Fernbank Museum’s Dr. Bobbi Hohmann told WSB-TV’s Nelson Hicks. “So we have things that focus on naval history, commerce and trade, (and) geopolitics. I think we have a little bit of something for everybody.”

Discover coins, jewelry, and notable artifacts lost to the Mediterranean Sea.

“We have a battering ram from a Roman ship, that was essentially used to ram the hull of a ship from Carthage,” Hohmann noted. “And that ship sank to the bottom of the ocean. From other historical documents, we know that (the) battering ram, which also sank to the bottom of the ocean, dates to the first Punic Wars. And the battle was actually March 10, 241 BCE.”

Discover sunken treasure, Punic Wars battering ram, underwater city at Fernbank’s newest exhibit

Another intriguing aspect of the exhibit is the exploration of an underwater city.

“There was (a) Roman resort town called Bai, and it’s around Naples, and because of geological processes related to volcanism, that whole city has sunk to the bottom of the ocean,” Hohmann said. “And so the Italians are actually reconstructing these ancient mosaics underwater, same with the sculptures. They’re not planning to remove them and take them out and put them in a museum. So essentially, you can go and (enjoy) underwater tourism in this area and explore some of these sunken cities.”

The exhibit also features a piece of Georgia history with a more than 300-year-old dugout canoe. This longleaf pine canoe was once used to transport people and goods throughout the state, offering a glimpse into the region’s past transportation methods.

Sunken Treasures, Ancient Seas is open at Fernbank Museum of Natural History until January 11, 2026, providing a unique opportunity to explore ancient maritime history and its impact on modern understanding of trade and culture.

This story is sponsored by Fernbank Museum of Natural History.