Underwater ruins of lost Roman city found

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Underwater ruins of lost Roman city found

September 04, 2017 - 22:01
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An archaeological expedition has discovered the underwater ruins of an ancient Roman city off the coast of Tunisia.

In a photo released by Tunisian National Heritage Institute and University of Sassari, dvers inspect the ruins of the ancient Roman city.

Archaeologists in a Tunisian-Italian expedition have discovered the underwater ruins of an ancient Roman city off the coast of Tunisia. The discovery confirms a theory that the city of Neapolis was partly submerged by a tsunami in 365 AD.

Describing it as a major discovery, expedition head Mounir Fantar said that streets, monuments and about 100 tanks used to make garum (fermented fish-based condiment) had been found at the site, which spanned over 20 hectares. His team had been searching for Neapolis since 2010, but succeeded in locating it this year due to favourable weather conditions.

"This discovery has allowed us to establish with certainty that Neapolis was a major centre for the manufacture of garum and salt fish, probably the largest centre in the Roman world," he said, adding that trading in garum was probably how their notables of the city had become rich.

The earthquake that caused the tsunami had been recorded by historian Ammien Marcellin, and it is believed to have caused much damage in Alexandria in Egypt and on the Greek island of Crete at the time.

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