Ancient Ships Off Italy Coast

[Gypsy Heart]

Written By: AP Friday, August 20, 2004 - 04:24 AM PST
CAPRI, Italy - Archaeologists exploring the bottom of the sea off the island of Capri have found the wrecks of three ancient ships that once plied the Mediterranean between Rome and northern African colonies.

Culture Minister Giuliano Urbani took a mini-submarine tour Thursday to see the latest additions to Italy's rich archaeological heritage, which were found earlier this month.

The wrecks were found off the island in the Gulf of Naples at a depth of about 430 feet, said private TV Canale 5, showing underwater footage of the finds on Friday.

A starfish rested on piles of amphorae, the slender terra cotta storage containers the ancient Romans used to transport goods, and colorful fish darted through the openings between the relics.

Archaeologists said one of the wrecks, from the 1st century, had been transporting goods on the route between Rome and what is now Tripoli, Libya.

A second ship, also from the first century, sank with a load of the containers, which were typical of those used to transport fruit, while the third vessel, from the 4th century, was laden with similar vases containing a popular condiment of the time based on a kind of fish sauce.

The underwater expedition also found ships from medieval times as well as more recent wrecks from World War II.

"For decades, we've been thinking about mapping the bottom of our seas for archaeological purposes, but today you can do it with new technologies," the Italian news agency ANSA quoted Urbani as saying.