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2,000-y.o. Roman ship found by divers, with amphorae still containing intact food

Posted by Olog-hai on Thu Aug 9 11:52:56 2012

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Divers discover 2,000-year-old Roman shipwreck that is so well preserved even the FOOD is intact

• Fish, wine, oil and grain found inside pots, giving new insight into Roman lifestyle
• Divers believe over 200 pots are left intact on the Roman commercial ship

By Mark Prigg
PUBLISHED: 05:55 EST, 9 August 2012 | UPDATED: 10:13 EST, 9 August 2012

One of the best preserved shipwrecks ever found has been discovered off the Italian coast.

Divers say they have found a ship off the coast of Italy that they believe is about 2,000 years old.

The ship, which was spotted in the sea off the town on Varazze in the province of Liguria, is thought to be a Roman-era commercial vessel.

The ship, a navis oneraria or merchant vessel, was located at a depth of about 200 feet after a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) was used to scour the seabed.

A search for the shipwreck was launched after local fisherman revealed they kept finding pieces of pottery in their nets.

The divers found the wreck so well preserved even the food, still sealed in over 200 pots, is intact.

"The peculiarity of this is that the wreck could be almost intact," Lt. Col. Francesco Schilardi of the police divers' group told the BBC.

"We believe it dates to sometime between the 1^st Century BC and the 1^st Century AD."

The team has so far been unable to find the name of the ship, but it was believed to be a sailed vessel used to carry commercial goods.

The ship would have been traveling between Italy and Spain, a popular shipping route, and would have been carrying food to sell at its destination.

Roman ships were commonly named after gods, mythological heroes or concepts such as harmony, peace and victory.

Researchers believe the mud on the seabed protected the wreck.

Test on some of the recovered jars revealed they contained pickled fish, grain, wine and oil.

The foodstuffs were traded in Spain for other goods.

The containers found in the wreck are known as amphora, and are a unique shape, often containing handles.

The large containers were commonly used to transport large quantities of food and wine, and were able to hold both solid and liquid.

The examples found in the latest wreck were ceramic, but they were also made in metal.

"There are some broken jars around the wreck, but we believe that most of the amphorae inside the ship are still sealed and food-filled," said Lt. Col. Schilardi.

It is hoped that further tests on the foodstuffs could give an insight into Roman lifestyles.

The ship is thought to have traveled on trade routes between Spain and what is now central Italy and was loaded with more than 200 clay amphorae likely to have contained fish, wine, oil and grain.

The ship is hidden under layers of mud on the seabed, which has left the wreck and its cargo intact.

The vessel will remain hidden at the bottom of the sea until Italian authorities decide whether to raise it or not, and police have placed an exclusion zone around it to protect it from other divers.

The Roman Menu

The ship was found to be carrying over 200 pots containing food.

Initial tests have found pickled fish, which was often used to create a sauce called garum.

Garum was a popular staple of menus for wealthly Romans, made from fermented fish and served as a side dish to meals. It was created by placing fatty fish such as sardines along with fish guts and blood into a large container with herbs and layers of salt. The container was then left in the sun for several days, before being mixed ever day for around 20 days, until it became a liquid.

Other foodstuffs found in the pots include wine, oil and grain.

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