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Summary French archaeologists have found 2,000 year-old Roman vessel from the depths of the Rhone River.
Archaeologists have recovered the final piece of a ship that sank in the river Rhone in France more than two millennia ago. Scientists hope the vessel will shed light on how the Romans led the way with globalisation.French archaeologists are breathing a sigh of relief after successfully bringing a 2,000 year-old Roman barge up out of the depths of the Rhone River.The ancient Roman barge is remarkably intact, but the boats oak planks have gone limp over the many centuries spent submerged, making the excavation process particularly difficult.The 31 x 3 metre boat was discovered submerged in the Rhone River at the port of Arelates in 2004. It took until 2010 for a plan to be approved to remove the ship from the river in ten discrete sections. The two pieces pulled up from their watery grave on Wednesday were the last of the extraction process.Exactly why the ship sank remains unknown, but such a well preserved vessel, intact from rudder to mast, is unusual after 2000 years underwater. While other merchant ships of its kind have been unearthed and displayed, none remain as sturdy and complete as this one.A sizeable layer of detritus that covered the ship underwater played a key role in its conservation. Consisting of objects discarded by the population of Arles, this critical pile of trash has some secrets of its own to offer historians and archaeologists.The last two pieces of the ship will be sent along with the other eight to a laboratory at Grenoble to be restored before moving back to Arles, where the entire boat will be reassembled and displayed.The project will cost nine million euros altogether, but for the archaeologists; it is a project well worth keeping afloat.
