The Lost Ships of Pisa: A Sea Adventure

Archeologists have recently unearthed 10 Roman ships, many complete with cargoes, that sank almost 2,000 years ago in a rediscovered harbour in Pisa, Italy. What happened all those years ago to entomb an entire port? What could have happened in Pisa more than 1,500 years ago to entomb an entire port? What secrets of Roman life, on land and on sea, are being revealed by this graveyard of ships? Merchant vessels, a warship and a ceremonial boat are being excavated, along with hundreds of thousands of artifacts, from coins to lamps to ceramic jugs called amphorae. The ships, buried in the damp earth with little oxygen to promote decay, are remarkably well preserved. In addition to the field of ships, which Italian authorities are calling "The Pompeii of maritime archaeology," the discovery of the ancient port, which was in use from about the fifth century B.C. to the fifth century A.D., is a major discovery in its own right. Join Michael Sedge on his quest to reveal the mysteries behind THE LOST SHIPS OF PISA.