Roman ship excavation

Following up on a story from January, here is the latest on the Netherlandish shipwreck excavation:

Archaeologists unveiled the oldest shipwreck ever recovered in the Netherlands on Thursday, an astonishingly well-preserved Roman military transport that sank along the banks of the Rhine 18 centuries ago.

Although other ships have been found in what was the sprawling Roman Empire, the flat-bottomed barge is one of the few found north of the Alps. It was built about 180 A.D., when Marcus Aurelius passed the throne to the emperor Commodus.

``What's really exciting is that the type is slightly different from others that have been found,'' said maritime archaeologist Andre van Holk, who oversaw the excavation. ``It's longer and thinner.''

The ship's 75-foot-long exterior is intact, as are a masthead and iron nails. The ship held no cargo when it sank, but the narrow construction and other remains - including a decorated chest complete with lock and key - suggest it may have been used by a paymaster sailing upriver with supplies for military camps and bases along the Rhine.

The ship, along with its wooden mooring, was found in De Meern, about three miles west of Utrecht, near what was once the site of a Roman military camp.

Posted by David on May 15, 2003 5:23 PM