Roman warship raised in Pisa

Archaeologists cautiously raised a 2,000-year-old Roman ship today from a muddy site packed with a score of ancient boats just a short walk from the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

The 12-metre-long ship is the largest and best-preserved of about 20 Roman vessels discovered by chance in a former river bed in 1998.

The ships sank, probably due to floods, between the second century BC and the sixth century AD while docked on a long-vanished river tributary.

The vessel hauled up today, which was the second boat removed from the mud, is remarkable because it is believed to be the only warship among those discovered.

However, it is just one part of an extraordinary find that project director Andrea Camilli described as "an encyclopedia of ancient navigation". . .

The ship raised today was covered in a protective fibreglass cast for its trip to the restoration laboratory, but it revealed the sleek shape of a fast oar-powered vessel, armed with a reinforced prow designed to ram enemy ships.

"It's the best preserved ship of antiquity ever found," Camilli said.

Here's a link to the official Pisa ships website (currently being updated).

Posted by David on December 17, 2002 5:30 PM