Monday, November 20, 2006

Roman wreck thought to be big

The 1st century AD Roman wreck found (referred to in my last blog) is turning out to be even more generous with its information on ancient ships. The ship was carrying as many as 1,500 amphorae containing fish. The fish bones are well preserved and will provide important information on trade. The cargo probably also includes lead, and copper which the Romans mixed with tin to make bronze for a range of things, including plates and jewelry.
But even more importantly, it is estimated that the ship had a capacity of around 400 tons which is twice the size of any roman wreck found up to now, and confirms the thesis held by certain historians and archaeologists (including myself) that ships of a capacity of up to several hundred tons were being built at that time.

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