Post by UKarchaeology on Jan 29, 2016 20:42:39 GMT
Archaeologists working off the coast of Italy have found a Roman shipwreck containing three thousand fish sauce vessels.
The Romans controlled the Mediterranean, and a salty fermented fish sauce was ubiquitous in Classical Roman cooking, often mixed with wine, vinegar or honey. The fish sauce, or garum, was a staple for cooking in Spain, Portugal and Italy, and the ship was likely heading to one of these countries to transport the shipment.
The ship was 25 meters long and sank down to 200 meters beneath the surface. Archaeologists spent two years tracking it before ultimately locating it; of course, the fish sauce was long gone after the passing centuries, but the jars still remained.
Full story: www.zmescience.com/science/archaeology/fish-sauce-shipwreck-29012016/
The Romans controlled the Mediterranean, and a salty fermented fish sauce was ubiquitous in Classical Roman cooking, often mixed with wine, vinegar or honey. The fish sauce, or garum, was a staple for cooking in Spain, Portugal and Italy, and the ship was likely heading to one of these countries to transport the shipment.
“It’s an exceptional find that dates to the first or second century AD,” team leader Simonluca Trigona said in a statement. “It’s one of just five ‘deep sea’ Roman vessels ever to be found in the Mediterranean and the first one to be found off the coast of Liguria. We know it was carrying a large cargo of garum when it sank.”
The ship was 25 meters long and sank down to 200 meters beneath the surface. Archaeologists spent two years tracking it before ultimately locating it; of course, the fish sauce was long gone after the passing centuries, but the jars still remained.
Full story: www.zmescience.com/science/archaeology/fish-sauce-shipwreck-29012016/