Archaeologists Uncover Evidence Of Ancient Rome The Great, Near The Yard

University of Southampton and the British School at Rome (BSR) archaeologists, leading an archaeology excavation International Portus - the ancient port of Rome, believe they have discovered a Roman shipyard.

The team, in collaboration with the Italian Archaeological Superintendency of Rome, found the remains of a huge building near the pool mark "port", hexagonal or in the center of the port complex.

University of Southampton and Professor Portus Project Director, Simon Keay said, "At first we thought this is a large rectangular building used for storage, but the most recent archaeology excavations have uncovered evidence that there may be another, used in previously linked to the construction and maintenance of ships.

"Few Roman Imperial shipyards have been discovered and, if our identification is correct, this would be the largest of its kind in Italy and the Mediterranean."

It has long been known as Portus was a key trading gateway that connected Rome with the Mediterranean throughout the imperial period and the Project1 Portus team investigated the importance of using a number of years. So far, no center of the main building of Rome has been identified, in addition to the possibility of the Tiber near Monte Testaccio, and a smaller one recently called for the river port of Ostia neighbors.

A recent grant of £ 640,000 for new Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) has made this final phase of excavation possible. These funds CAP, with the financial support of archeology Superintendancy of Rome, the University of Southampton and the British School at Rome has to be carried out extensive excavation on the site this year.

Great for building a team is 2 century AD, and C would be 145 meters long and 60 meters wide - an area larger than a football field. In some places the roof was up to 15 m high, or more than three times the height of the double-decker bus. Piers large concrete brick face, or pillars, about three feet wide, and still visible in part supported by at least eight spans in parallel with wooden roofs.

"It 'was a large structure, which could easily be placed on wood, fabric and other accessories, and certainly would have been enough to build or to protect ships in scale, location and the uniqueness of the building will take us to believe that he played a key role in the shipbuilding activities, "said Professor Keay Southampton, who is also the archaeological activity within the BSR.

Studies in 2009, his team remains focused on the "Imperial Palace" and an amphitheater-shaped building, located next to this building. He argues that together form the key of the complex with an imperial official accused of coordinating the movement of ships and cargo port. Moreover, he believes that the yard was an integral part of this.

Further evidence comes in the form of inscriptions discovered at Portus reference to the existence of a guild of shipowners or glassy portensium navalium fabrum in the harbor. As a mosaic that is now in the Vatican Museum, but once graced the floor of a villa on the ancient Via Labicana (a road that leads south of Rome), is the facade of a building like that of Portus clearly shows a ship in each subject.

"The discovery of this building has a significant impact on our understanding of the meaning of a hexagonal basin Portus, or port, and its role in the entire port complex," says Professor Keay.

He continues: "We must emphasize that there is no evidence yet of the ramps may have been necessary to start new construction ships in the waters of the hex. These can be found under the embankment of the early 20 , which is now on this side of the basin. Discover these prove our hypothesis beyond reasonable doubt, although no longer exists, "says Professor Keay.

Geophysical exploration of archaeological services from Southampton and the British School at Rome is to make the geophysical survey of the area around the building to get more information on the still buried in the structure. The members of the Southampton Archaeological Research Computing Group, led by Dr Graeme Earl, has also created a computer simulation graphics, which offers valuable visual information about its structure and layout as well as an idea of ​​how it came out, and has been used .

Professor Keay team is also working with Angelo Pellegrino Archaeological Superintendence of Rome to extend the previous excavations at Portus project and restoration of these structures, for 'the imperial palace, to better understand key issues on the design and development .

The international team further studies on the Portus plans to learn more about this fascinating, important site which holds a huge amount of information on activities and trade with Rome.



For more interesting topics related to archaeology, visit archaeology excavations.