The Treasures These Divers Discovered Inside This 1,600-Year-Old Shipwreck Will Blow Your Mind
Beams of sunlight glistened through the deep waters as scuba diver Ran Feinstein and his buddy Ofer Ra’anan drifted above the ocean floor. It was just a normal dive for the pair, who regularly enjoyed exploring the waters off the ancient port of Caesarea. But then, something on the seabed caught their attention. They floated closer to the peculiar object, completely unaware that they were about to make the most important marine discovery archaeology has seen in years.
The ruined port of Caesarea, which lies on Israel’s Mediterranean coast, is a place rich with historical significance. Indeed, it was first erected by the Phoenicians, but in 22 BCE King Herod – the proxy ruler of Judaea during Roman rule – developed the town into a bustling port.
While Caesarea was initially used as a dock for Herod’s navy, it would later become the capital of Judaea in 6 CE. Furthermore, as Christianity began to spread throughout the area in the first century, Caesarea grew to have a very important place in Biblical history.
Not only is Caesarea mentioned in scripture in association with a number of the apostles, but it is also the site where a Roman engraving was found bearing the name of Pontius Pilate. In fact, this was the first ever reference to the Roman prefect recorded from the time when he was alive.
Caesarea is also thought to have been the site of a turning point in the Jewish revolt against the Romans in 132 – 135 CE. Why? Because it was here, historians believe, that the Jewish leader Rabbi Akiba was executed by the vengeful Romans.
After years of deterioration under Arab and Byzantine occupation, though, Caesarea became a hotly-contested area in the crusades. But while Muslim and crusader armies vied over the port’s strategic location, the city itself was ultimately doomed.
Certainly, Caesarea was eventually burned to the ground by Muslim forces around 1265. And, perhaps because of a tsunami or an earthquake, the port itself also disappeared beneath the waves. The story of Caesarea doesn’t end there, however.
Since the 1950s archaeologists have been working to uncover Caesarea’s fascinating hidden treasures. Moreover, so far a Roman temple, aqueduct and amphitheater have all been unearthed, as have a ruined crusader church and the remains of the port.
So when Feinstein and Ra’anan set off on their scuba trip in May 2016, they were diving in an area simply awash with archaeological potential. The booty this pair would discover, however, was enough to turn even the most successful treasure hunter green with envy.
At first, the two could hardly even believe what they had discovered. “It took us a couple of seconds to understand what was going on,” Ra’anan told the Associated Press. “It was amazing. I dive here every other weekend and I never found anything like that ever.”
What they had found were the remains of a mercantile sea vessel dating all the way back to the Roman era, and it was replete with all of its priceless cargo. And so immediately they called in Israel’s Antiquities Authority.
Alongside divers from the IAA, Ofer and Ra’anan then made a second sweep of the ocean floor. And it soon became clear that the wreck had lain concealed by sand for hundreds of years. Until 2016, that is, when the tide had gradually cleared away its earthy cover and laid the magnificent find bare.
An extensive salvage project was soon launched, but this was no small undertaking. In fact, the excavation was to last for several weeks and involved the work of dozens of IAA divers and volunteers. And as more and more objects from the wreck began to be unearthed, the sheer scale of the discovery became increasingly apparent.
The search pulled up lots of precious metal artifacts, most of which were bronze. But what made the discovery so special was the incredible condition that these objects were in despite the years they had spent forgotten at the bottom of the sea.
This treasure trove of statues and coins were incredibly well preserved despite having been hidden under the sand for centuries. And although the bulk of the items are thought to be as many as 1,600 years old, the astonishing artifacts show little sign of their age.
What’s more, this cache was especially rare since in Roman times metal statues were often melted down and recycled. It’s likely, however, that these items were saved from a similar fate by the tragedy that befell the vessel itself.
This is because researchers at the IAA’s Marine Archaeology Unit believe that the vessel’s merchants had attempted to anchor themselves during a heavy storm. It seems, however, that the ropes had snapped, and the vessel, completely at the mercy of the waves, had smashed and floundered on the jagged rocks.
With the precious cargo entombed under the sand for centuries, then, the divers’ discovery was a truly remarkable one. What’s more, items such as the bronze images of Sol and Luna – the deities of the sun and moon – offer an extraordinary glimpse into the Roman faith and the material culture of a bygone era.
Objects from the haul also give us an insight into secular Roman life. The discovery includes a lamp fashioned to look like the head of an African slave, for example, as well as bronze animal-shaped sculptures. Other notable finds include two masses of fused-together coins that weigh in at 44 pounds.
The artifacts are, at the time of writing, being worked on by conservators and specialists from the Israel Antiquities Authority. However, for those who can’t wait until the new treasures are exhibited, there are other Caesarea discoveries that are now on display and open to the public.
For instance, in 2015 divers discovered a hoard of 2,000 gold coins from around the 10th century, and these can now be viewed as part of an exhibition entitled “Time Travel” currently showing in the Caesarea harbor. But with discoveries still being continually unearthed from this archaeological hotspot, who knows what other treasures Caesarea still holds?
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