TWO-and-a-half centuries' worth of artefacts found lying on the sea floor off the coast of Italy come to light in a new Oxford exhibition.

Storms, War and Shipwrecks: Treasures from the Sicilian Sea, opened at the Ashmolean Museum last week.

It tells the story of the many civilisations which left their influence on Sicily.

All the objects on show were rescued from the bottom of the sea around the Mediterranean island, left there centuries ago by Phoenician traders to the Byzantine Empire.

Curator of the collection Dr Alexandra Sofroniew said: "Every object in this exhibition was found underwater and all of our artefacts are chance finds by fishermen and divers.

"People will be really surprised by the level of preservation of the objects that have spent thousands of years on the sea floor.

"It’s a very family-friendly exhibition. We have a series of activities for kids of all ages and for all the family."

As part of the exhibition there will be games for children such as "dress as a Roman merchant" and also a specially-commissioned film from video games developer Creative Assembly, known for its historical battle simulation games.

Admission costs £10 for adults, £9 for concessions and £5 for children aged 12 to 17 and Art Fund members. Ashmolean Members and under-12s can see the show for free.

The Ashmolean Museum is open between 10am and 5pm Tuesday to Sunday, and Bank Holidays.