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Explorers Find Ancient Shipwrecks

By ALESSANDRA RIZZO

posted: 5 HOURS 4 MINUTES AGO

comments: 134

filed under: Science News, World News

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ROME (July 24) - Archaeologists have found five well-preserved Roman shipwrecks deep under the sea off a small Mediterranean island, with their cargo of vases, pots and other objects largely intact, officials said Friday.

The ships are submerged about 300 to 500 feet off Ventotene, a tiny island that is part of an archipelago off Italy's west coast between Rome and Naples.

The ships, which date from between the 1st century B.C. and the 4th century, carried amphorae — vases used for holding wine, olive oil and other products — as well as kitchen tools and metal and glass objects that have yet to be identified, Italy's Culture Ministry said. The spot was highly trafficked, and hit by frequent storms and dangerous sea currents.

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'An Underwater Museum'

A diver holds an object recovered from one of 5 ancient Roman ships discovered at the bottom of the Mediterranean off the Italian island of Ventotene. Officials say the vessels date from the 1st century B.C. to the 4th century and are unusually well preserved.

Handout / AP

The discovery is part of a new drive by archaeological officials to scan deeper levels of the sea and prevent looting of submerged treasures.

Discoveries of shipwrecks are not unusual in the Mediterranean, but these ships are far better preserved than most, which are often found scattered in fragments, said Annalisa Zarattini, the head of the ministry's office for underwater archaeology. Because the ships sank at a deeper lever than most known wrecks, they were not exposed to destructive underwater currents, she said.

The ships also sank without capsizing, allowing researchers to observe their cargo largely as it had been loaded, Zarattini said.

"It is like an underwater museum," Zarattini said. The finding also sheds light on the trade routes of ancient Rome, marking the area as a major commercial crossroads, she said.

Treasure hunters usually dive down to about 100 feet underwater, but new and fast-spreading technology will make it increasingly easier for them to dive deep, Zarattini said. "It's important to arrive first," she added.

The ships were found during explorations concluded earlier this month by the ministry and the AURORA Trust, a U.S. group that gathers maritime researchers and provides equipment to explore the sea.

The researchers used sonar technology to provide imagery of the seabed and then employed remotely operated vehicles, the Culture Ministry and the AURORA Trust said.

The oldest of the ships has a cargo of wine amphorae from southern Italy, some stacked in their original position, AURORA said. Another one was carrying moratoria, large bowls used to grind grains. Another was loaded with African amphorae carrying garum, a fish sauce that was a delicacy in ancient Rome.

The largest wreck measures more than 65 feet.

A handful of objects were taken out to be studied and will be put on display in Ventotene.

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Ancient Finds

Israeli archaeologists uncovered this quarry in Jerusalem, thought to have been used by King Herod to build the Jewish Temple 2,000 years ago. Authorities announced Monday the stones from the quarry were the right size for the temple's outer walls, which still stand today. The quarry dates back to the first century B.C.

Assaf Peretz, IAA / AP

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

2009-07-24 10:08:03

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MJF54

06:44 PMJul 24 2009

that item the diver is holding up in the picture above is nothing more than an old rusty hospital bed pan lmao

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lisapatterson9

06:35 PMJul 24 2009

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Gazebo231

06:35 PMJul 24 2009

TO ELABORATE FURTHER ON THE SPANISH INFLUENCE IN SICILY ETC...THE EARLY SETTLERS OF SPAIN WERE THE IBERIANS A PEOPLE FROM NORTH AFRICA...A NON INDO EUROPEAN GROUP...IN TIME BY THE ROMAN PERIOD YOU HAD A CELTIC CONTIGENT IN SPAIN AS WELL...SPAIN WAS THE MOST ROMANIZED OF ALL ROMAN COLONIES HAVING 20 ROMAN COLONIES IMPLANTED THERE....THE MOST FAMOUS OF WHICH WAS ITALICA NEAR SEVILLE AND HOME OF VARIOUS EMPERORS SUCH AS TRAJAN, HADRIAN AND THEODOSIUS...UPON THE COLLAPSE OF ROME IN THE FIFTH CENTURY AD VARIOUS GERMAN TRIBES SETTLED IN SPAIN...THE FIRST THE VANDALS SETTLED IN WHAT IS NOW THIERE NAME SAKE ANDALUCIA AND NORTH AFRICA, NEXT CAM THE SUEVI WHO SETTLED IN WHAT IS NOW PORTUGAL...THEN FINALLY CAME THE VISIGOTHS AND A KINGDOM OF THE VISIGOTHS WAS ESTABLISHED IN SPAIN TILL THE ARABS CAME IN THE EIGHTH CENTURY...THEN THERE WERE SEVERAL WAVES OF MOORS....BUT THS SPANISH RESISITED AND IN 1492 SPAIN HAD RID ITSELF OF THE MOORS AS WELL AS THE JEWS AND WAS FINALLY REUNITED UNDER FERDINAND...

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MJF54

06:34 PMJul 24 2009

I was told by a unnamed source in Obama's whitehouse that the cargo hold was full of empty Papa Johns Pizza boxes

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MJF54

06:33 PMJul 24 2009

I was told by a unnamed source in Obama's whitehouse that the cargo hold was full of empty Papa Johns Pizza boxes

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Gasenginenut

06:30 PMJul 24 2009

people posting acai on these sites are scams. you will never get to cancel on your card.. (stay away)

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RKaplan473

06:28 PMJul 24 2009

I saw the pictures. That's not sunken treasure, it's some junk I threw out the last time I travelled there.

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JOKERS819

06:27 PMJul 24 2009

i have been to these islands my family is from Isola di ponza ,it isa beautiful place and hopefully not destroyes by this find

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SieminskiL

06:25 PMJul 24 2009

The Italians and Italian Americans I know are WONDERFUL people, Raguilar2008. My neighbor from Sicily would give you the shirt off his back!

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Vbookish7

06:22 PMJul 24 2009

RAGUILAR RAGUILAR YOU MUST NEVER HAVE TRAVELED TO ITALY. THE ENTIRE COUNTRY IS A TREASURE. THE FOOD IS FANTASTIC, THE PEOPLE BEAUTIFUL. MAKE YOUR TRAVEL PLANS NOW!

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