5 well preserved Roman shipwrecks found

Archaeologists of the Aurora trust using side scan sonar have discovered a ''graveyard'' of five ancient Roman shipwrecks. The discovery is part of a project started in 2008 to make side scan sonar recordings of deeper levels of the Mediterranean Sea.

The trading vessels, dating from the first century BC to the fifth century AD, lie more than 100 meters underwater near the small island of Ventotene of the coast of Campania Italy.

The ships carried amphorae for wine, olive oil and garum a typically Roman fishsause (from Spain) widely used in the Roman kitchen. Also among the cargo were ingots of metal and stone query material.

The spot were thew ships were found lie on a searoute then and now still highly trafficked, and hit by frequent storms and dangerous sea currents.

Aurora Trust is involved in a number of research projects throughout the Mediterranean Sea.

Source: aurora trust

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• Aurora Trust

ROV still of Roman amphorae of one of the Roman wrecks (picture Aurora Trust)

Site of Ventotene lies on the route from Pozzuoli to Ostia. Pozzuoli was one of the bigest Roman ports