MAGNA GRAECIA’S CORINTHIAN SHIP WAS FOUND IN ITALY.

 

 

 

A ship loaded with Greek ceramics from the 7^th century BC was discovered in Italy, which sheds new light on Magna Graecia, the area in southern Italy founded by ancient Greeks which had many mint mines

 

The ship submerged at about 780 meters depth has now been recovered in the Otranto Canal in southern Italy.

 

Its study has revealed new aspects about the history and trade of the Italian territory known as Magna Graecia in which Greek settlers came to live the Italian Ministry of Culture revealed recently.

 

Twenty-two pieces of fine ceramics and transport containers from the Corinth region, that were part of he wreck’s cargo were located with the help of remote controlled submarine with high-tech instruments.  

 

The amphorae and other vessels found in the wreckage of the ship were first spotted in 2018, during the operations of a pipeline that brings natural gas to Italy from Azerbaijan. 

 

“They constitute a unique finding of the kind,” declared the Italian Minister of Culture, Dario Franceschini, suprident of  excavation’s underwater archaeologist, Barbara Devidde explained that the pieces “are part of the cargo of the first shipwreck dating from the early 7^th century BC, found in the Adriatic Sea.”

 

“The discovery offers us historical data that narrate to oldest stages of the Mediterranean trade at the dawn of Magna Graecia, and about the mobility flows in the Mediterranean basin,” revealed the Director of Italian Museums Massimo Osanna.  He visited the restoration laboratory of the National Superintendence of Underwater Cultural Heritage.

 

Magna Graecia includes the southern part of Italy. There the Greeks expanded and founded cities, famous for their wealth and culture, such as Regio, Naples, Syracuse and others. 

 

The amazingly intact cargo “shed light on the early stages of ancient Greek colonization in southern Italy, thanks to the significant state of conservation.  It allows us to understand what the Greeks were transporting,” said Davidde.

 

That was more than just food like olives and wine that were considered prestigious items and highly appreciated by the people there.   The Ministry of Culture plans to recover the entire shipment, made up of some 200 pieces scattered at the bottom of the sea. 

 

They will be restored and subjected to both archaeometrical analysis on the materials and archaeobotanical analysis on organic and plant residues.  Those residues could still be present in sediment that fills many of the recovered ceramics. Among these are the Corinthian Amphorae in which olive stones were found.

 

“We are a country surrounded by the sea and we have a rich submerged cultural heritage that still needs to be studied, safeguarded and valued,” said the Ministry.

“The recent investigation of the Otranto Canal confirms that there is a very rich heritage capable of giving us back not just the hidden treasures but also our history,” he added.   

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