Archaeologists have recently discovered five shipwrecks from the Roman-era deep under the Mediterranean. The ships contain many amphorae (ceramic vases used for storing food) which may have contained wine, olive oil, and fish sauce. Other things found on the ships include mortaria (large bowls) and Campanian wine. The ships appear to have been transporting goods from North Africa, Italy and Spain. It is thought that the ships sunk during a storm while heading for safe harbor on Ventotene. Some artifacts from the ships have been taken to be cleaned and put on display in the museum of Ventotene. Most of the ships appear to e untouched, lying carefully preserved on the sand for over one thousand years. These ships and their cargo have proved Ventotene to have been a major trading crossroad in the ancient world. http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/07/24/shipwrecks-italy.html
-Chase Ochrach, Period 3
3 comments:
That's interesting, I wonder if the ships were from Rome? It is definitely cool to see what kinds of artifacts can be unearthed at the bottom of a sea! From these, it's like a time portal back to the Roman-era- we can see what kinds of products these ships were carrying- in this case- pots.
Its amazing to see how well that these ships were preserved, considering the location and the amount of time which they have survived through. When so many ancient sites are being destroyed, (like the blog post on the pyramids) it is very lucky that these rare and well preserved sites are found. The variety of goods stands to reflect the interconnectedness of the times.
Wow, that is interesting that the vases were still intact when they discovered the shipwreck.
I think the info that can be learned from artifacts and objects found in shipwrecks is intriguing.
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