In a collaborative exercise between the Museo del Mar museum and the Santa Pola Local Police, with the help of Salvamento Marítimo, an amphora from Roman times has been recovered in the bay of Santa Pola.
The operation this week had to be suspended due to poor weather, but resumed on Thursday morning.
On February 15, the Local Police informed the Museo del Mar of a casual archaeological find on the seabed of the bay of Santa Pola. After analysing the underwater images, the museum estimated that it could be an amphora of archaeological value.
The Museum initiated the file in coordination with the Underwater Archaeological Centre of Valencia, dependent on the Ministry of Culture and Heritage, which authorised the director of the Museum of the Sea to start the rescue operation of the piece.
From there, the Local Police of Santa Pola launched the operation with the collaboration of Salvamento Marítimo and with the presence of an underwater archaeologist, the piece that was 12 metres deep, was recovered.
The Archaeologist, Alejandro Pérez has indicated that “this typological variant of amphora (Beltrán IIB) is produced in the Cadiz area and the Mediterranean coast of the Roman province of Bética to preserve and transport, through the Mediterranean, both salted fish and a sauce or seasoning, also based on fish called garum; Highly valued in Roman times.
“This amphora production is documented from the Augustan period (beginning of the 1st century), although it is generalised in the Flavian period until the Antonine period (last third of the 1st century and throughout the 2nd century), a time to which this amphora belongs given its formal characteristics. that distance it from the first prototypes”, he indicates.
The director of the Santa Pola Museum, María José Cerdá, thanked the Ministry and all the participants for their coordination so that the operation was successfully completed.
The Councillor for Culture in Santa Pola, Trini Ortiz, has shown her satisfaction and gratitude “to all the staff of the Museo del Mar, Salvamento and the Santa Pola Local Police who have collaborated and coordinated perfectly to recover the amphora. We recover and value heritage for all Santapoleros and visitors who will be able to enjoy everything that the sea offers us in our museum”.
Once in the port, the piece was transferred to the Museo del Mar where the desalination process will begin so that it will later be exhibited.
