Archaeologists once assumed that ancient sailors solely relied on coastal navigation. But new discoveries from a multi-year mission by UNESCO suggest that sailing beyond sight of land was routine in ancient times
Photograph by Angel M. Fitor, www.seaframes.com/UNESCOAmong the new discoveries are three shipwrecks near the Skerki Banks, including a Roman merchant ship that sank more than 2,000 years ago. Underwater archaeologistsays the 60-foot-long ship, partially intact in 180 feet of water, was carrying amphoras when it sank. The design of the clay jars suggests they once held wine from Italy; archaeologists will now recover some of the amphoras to test that hypothesis.
Taken together, the new and old wrecks show conclusively that early merchant ships often left the coasts and crossed the open sea when there was a profit to be made—a finding that will give scholars a greater understanding of how ancient economies worked.Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.: The control room of research vesselPhotographs by Angel M. Fitor, www.seaframes.
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