Two recreational divers discovered a 1,600 year-old shipwreck on the seabed off the coast of Israel, leading to a salvage operation which uncovered one of the largest caches of marine artifacts ever found, antiquities officials revealed Monday.
The hoard was discovered off the coast of Caesarea, a major Roman-era seaport, sometime last month, the Israel Antiques Authority said in a statement, calling the find the most extensive underwater discovery in 30 years.
Pieces brought to the surface included a bronze lamp depicting the image of the sun god Sol, a figurine of the moon goddess Luna, a lamp in the image of the head of an African slave, fragments of three life-size bronze cast statues, objects fashioned in the shape of animals such as a whale, and a bronze faucet in the form of a wild boar with a swan on its head, the IAA said.
Fragment of jars the crew had used to store drinking water were also found.
Experts believe the finds came from a large merchant ship carrying metal slated for reuse when it ran into a storm near the harbor and smashed into the seawall and rocks.
“A preliminary study of the iron anchors suggests there was an attempt to stop the drifting vessel before it reached shore by casting anchors into the sea; however, these broke – evidence of the power of the waves and the wind which the ship was caught up in,” the statement said.
Ran Feinstein and Ofer Ra‘anan of Ra’anana were diving at the site of the ancient harbor in the Caesarea National Park before the recent Passover holiday in April when they noticed that shifting sand had exposed the remains of a ship and its contents.
The pair immediately contacted the IAA, which sent down archaeologists to take a look.
To their delight, the team spotted “iron anchors, remains of wooden anchors and items that were used in the construction and running of the sailing vessel,” the authority said.
Feinstein and Ra‘anan will be Awarded a Certificate of Appreciation by the IAA and given a personal tour of the IAA’s storerooms as a reward for their good citizenry.
Picture: A figurine of the moon goddess Luna as discovered on the seabed at the site of the ancient sea port of Caserea, Israel. (Ran Feinstein)..Times of Israel
