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Roman shipwreck with marble found Israel


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An Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologist checks out pieces of 1,800-year-old marble from a shipwreck off the shore of Beit Yanai in central Israel. (Israel Antiquities Authority’s Theft Prevention Unit)

 

A mid 2nd century AD Roman wreck containing marble has been found in Israel.

 

An Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologist checks out pieces of 1,800-year-old marble from a shipwreck off the shore of Beit Yanai in central Israel. (Israel Antiquities Authority’s Theft Prevention Unit)

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Three weeks ago while swimming a mere 200 meters off the shore of the central beach town of Beit Yanai, recreational sea swimmer Gideon Harris took a dive of about four meters and stumbled upon a 1,800-year-old treasure trove of marble columns.

According to Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologist Kobi Sharvit, the columns are part of some 44 tons of marble blocks that appear to be from the wreck of a ship that was on its way to a Roman port — potentially Ashkelon or Gaza — to unload its precious cargo.

The team has dated the find to the mid-2nd century CE based on architectural typography as well as historical Roman sources that cite the use of the precious marble as a building material. He hopes to discover coins in next week’s excavation.

 

Archaeologist examining marble from a shipwreck

 

Swimmer discovers precious marble cargo from 1,800-year-old Mediterranean shipwreck (msn.com)

 

Storm Uncovers 1,800-year-old Shipwreck Carrying Rare Precious Cargo (newsweek.com)

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