Article Abstract:
Hellenistic sculptures, furniture and other items recovered from a shipwreck near Mahdia, Tunisia, have been restored by scholars from the Rheinisches Landesmuseum in Bonn, Germany. The Greek ship sank sometime during the 70s BC; its cargo may have included items stolen when Athens and Piraeus were pillaged by the Roman consul Sulla in 86 BC. Most of the sculptures were recovered between 1907 and 1913 by French archaeologist Alfred Merlin. Included in the find are a bronze statue of Eros, a marble bust probably of Ariadne, bronze busts of Dionysos and Ariadne, and two bronze statuettes of dancing dwarfs.
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Article Abstract:
Advances in technology have opened the way for both archaeologists and treasure hunters to find ancient wrecks on the ocean floors. Remotely operated vehicles and autonomous underwater vehicles are able to reach greater and greater depths. Developments include the finding of the Titanic at a depth of more than 12,000 feet, the discovery of the steamer Central America off South Carolina with over $2 million in gold bullion, and the archaeological find of the Roman wreck Isis in the Mediterranean. The recovery of treasure from shipwrecks raises international and national legal issues.
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Article Abstract:
Many significant archaeological finds have been discovered in the past 50 years, well-preserved by cold undisturbed water. Ships have been one of humankind's essential means for exploration and colonization. Analysts estimate as much as 95% of all wooden vessels ever constructed have been lost a sea, and underwater archaeology's recovering wrecks has produced considerable knowledge about the ancient world.
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