Sunday Times November 25th 2007
Near to modern-day Pisa archaeologists have uncovered an
ancient port which was
probably covered in mud and silt as the result of an
ancient flood.
The site has delivered up 30 ships covering a period from
the pre-Roman Etruscan era to the time of Augustus around AD 10. The ships are
very well preserved by the anaerobic conditions.
It is probably the most important discovery since Pompeii
and has been proposed as a World Heritage site.
The discovery of thousands of amphorae with their contents –
a rare find indeed – tells us much about the history of commerce between Rome
and its neighbours over an extended period of time.
The port itself resembles Venice with many canals and stands
at the confluence of the Arno and the now defunct Auser.
Historians are delighted at the variety of the ships uncovered
which range from 24ft to 90ft. Trading patterns, technology and social trends
can all be deduced by many of the finds.
Some of the ships are Greek, Phoenician and even Etruscan
and human remains have been discovered on one suggesting that the ship was
wrecked by a flash flood or storm.
The whole site was discovered in 1998 when work began for a
new railway control centre for the Rome-Genoa line.
As is often the case funding is at a premium but the
creation of a museum near the site should attract tourists away from the famous Leaning Tower and this
museum is due to open in 2008.
A situation similar to that of the preservation of the Mary
Rose will have to be undertaken not for one ship but 30 as many will rapidly
disintegrate in the presence of oxygen. Excavation could take another 10 years
as 20 of the 30 ships discovered still lie underground.