• News
    • Tech News
    • AI
  • Gadgets
    • Apple
    • iPhone
  • Gaming
    • Playstation
    • Xbox
  • Science
    • News
    • Space
  • Streaming
    • Netflix
  • Vehicles
    • Car News
  • Social Media
    • WhatsApp
    • YouTube
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
TikTok
Snapchat
WhatsApp
Submit Your Content
'Mind-blowing' 8,000-year-old relic found at bottom of ocean and experts say 'it's just the start'

Home> Science

Updated 16:12 30 Apr 2024 GMT+1Published 16:13 30 Apr 2024 GMT+1

'Mind-blowing' 8,000-year-old relic found at bottom of ocean and experts say 'it's just the start'

Scientists are both excited and puzzled at the same time.

Rebekah Jordan

Rebekah Jordan

A 'mind-blowing' discovery in southern Italy has left scientists both excited and puzzled.

Back in October, researchers located some mysterious objects near the island of Capri in the Bay of Naples, in southern Italy.

The objects were found near the White Grotto, a cavern filled with stalagmites - a place that's not as famous as its neighbour, the Blue Grotto, a popular tourist attraction thanks to its sky-blue waters.

Advert

The research team believes that the remains of a Neolithic shipwreck dating back between 8,000 and 5,000 years ago could be close.

Superintendency of the Metropolitan Area of Naples
Superintendency of the Metropolitan Area of Naples

Sandro Barucci, a researcher and author, said: 'The remains of a Neolithic hull in Mediterranean waters have never been found to date.

'There are cases of Neolithic boats found on the European mainland or in freshwater, lakes, and rivers. But the Mediterranean Sea has a pleasant temperature and salinity for the wood-eating mollusk, Teredo navalis.'

Advert

Barrucci explained that these submerged wood ships that sink in the Mediterranean are prey for these types of molluscs.

The Naples Police Department worked alongside marine archaeologists to recover the objects from the water.

They identified the material to be made of obsidian, a shiny, black volcanic glass that forms when lava cools quickly leaving limited crystal growth.

According to the authorities, the most important find on the seabed weighs nearly eight kilograms (17.6 pounds) and measures around 28 x 20 x 15 centimetres (11 x 8 x 6 inches).

Advert

Superintendency of the Metropolitan Area of Naples
Superintendency of the Metropolitan Area of Naples

It was noticed at a depth of 30 to 40 metres (98 to 132 feet), and despite its human-made carvings, the artefact remains a mystery to the scientists in what its actual purpose is.

'It is necessary to carry out an extensive instrumental survey of the seabed to verify the possible presence of the hull or other cargo material,' added Mariano Nuzzo, the superintendent of archaeology, fine arts, and landscape for the Naples metropolitan area.

If the boat had sunk quickly into the sand and remained protected at Capri, it would 'perhaps be possible to find some wooden parts, especially if it were a dugout canoe,' he continued.

Advert

'But it would truly be a very rare event, indeed unique.'

Now, the team is hopeful to find a Stone Age shipwreck in the water where the potential discoveries could mark a first for archaeologists.

Featured Image Credit: Superintendency of the Metropolitan Area of Naples
Science

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

2 days ago
  • 2 days ago

    World's biggest lithium reservoir with $1,500,000,000,000,000 worth of the precious metal hiding in supervolcano

    This could turn the US into a leading global supplier of the valuable metal

    Science
  • 2 days ago

    Earth could be hit today by insane 600,000 mile-wide solar eruption that triggers extreme geomagnetic storm

    Scientists are warning that this could cause disruptions on Earth

    Science
  • 2 days ago

    Scientists reveal people really can die from a broken heart but one gender is more like to suffer from it

    Heartbreak is now considered an actual health condition, and it can actually kill you

    Science
  • 2 days ago

    Scientists build dystopian 32ft ‘black box’ solely designed to record the end of civilization

    It's the end of the world as we know it

    Science
  • Researchers discover 'mind-blowing' 8,000-year-old relic at bottom of ocean and experts say 'it's just the start'
  • World's oldest computer over 2,200 years old was found at the bottom of the ocean
  • Scientists 'resurrect' 10,000-year-old creature using ancient DNA in mind-blowing achievement
  • Experts say ocean 'blob' has caused at least 1,000,000 deaths in biggest species die-off in history