The first undisturbed Roman shipwreck ever found in Cyprus has been discovered off the coast of Protaras. The resort town of Protaras is famed for its diving and is reputed to have some of the best dive sites in the eastern Mediterranean. It was two divers who found the wreck, volunteers for the University of Cyprus’ Maritime Archaeological Research Laboratory (MARELab). They notified the Department of Antiquities which quickly raised the funds for an archaeological exploration of the site.
It is the wreck of a Roman merchant vessel carrying a large cargo of amphorae. The ship is believed to have originated in Syria and Cilicia. The undisturbed field of amphorae and any other remains of the ship will shed new light on the history of maritime trade between Cyprus and the rest of the Mediterranean provinces during the Roman era.
A team of MARELab archaeologists, students and volunteers is now thoroughly documenting the wreck.
Makes you wonder what else remains to be discovered below water?
Notice the invasive lion fish (Pterois) present. Any ideas as what is the organic matter littered about?
‘Pterois miles’, a.k.a devil firefish, a.k.a. common lionfish, is a carnivorous and extremely nasty invasive species native to the Indian Ocean, from the Red Sea, to South Africa, and to Indonesia; it has been reported in the eastern and central Mediterranean, i.e. Cyprus, and in Malta.
Those brothers book a first-class ticket via the “New Suez Canal”, an expansion planned to bring the capacity of the Suez Canal up to 97 ships a day. Notably, the new side channel was opened on 6 August 2015, and by late 2016 the ‘Pteroides milites’ had taken the South of Cyprus :ohnoes:
So Yeah, …maybe not entirely “undisturbed” –That ‘organic matter’ might be dead Seaweed or Posidonia.
this is very big news!
a while back ago, exxon mobil had announced a major discovery, finding a big natural gas deposit around the cyprus area.
as history tells us Cyprus has a Greek side and a Turkish side…there could be a chance that where this shipwreck could halt exploration work in favor of historical preservation!
thanks for sharing!
donald @ newsography
this is very big news!
a while back ago, exxon mobil had announced a major discovery, finding a big natural gas deposit around the cyprus area.
as history tells us Cyprus has a Greek side and a Turkish side…there could be a chance that where this shipwreck could halt exploration work in favor of historical preservation!
thanks for sharing!
donald from newsography