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Coast of Capri
Photo: ingimage / IMAGO
It is not known exactly when humans began to move not only on land, but also on water. Off the Italian holiday island of Capri, researchers have now discovered evidence that could have come from a shipwreck or raft from the Neolithic Age. This was announced by the Italian Ministry of Culture last week, first reported by the portal »Scienxx«.
The find is therefore several obsidian blocks. The natural glass is formed during volcanic activity. Because of its sharp-edged properties, it was used, among other things, to make tools.
According to the ministry, clear traces of processing can be found on one of the blocks found. It has an area of about 28 by 20 centimeters and a height of 15 centimeters – with a weight of almost 8 kilograms. The recovered objects are now to be cleaned and restored. "Obsidian was mined on Lipari and brought to #Capri by wooden boats via the Mediterranean routes," Mariano Nuzzo, superintendent of the urban area of Nepal, wrote on Instagram. There he shares pictures of the salvage work. Lipari is an island of volcanic origin.
As early as October, the Naples police water unit had reported sunken remains – but they could not be precisely located at the time, it is said. Now divers have recovered the cargo near the Grotta Bianca at a depth of 30 to over 40 meters. The blocks were discovered scattered over a larger area on the seabed than had initially been assumed. According to the report, the state police and carabinieri also helped with the rescue.
According to Nuzzo, it is necessary to "carry out a comprehensive instrumental study of the seabed". This would make it possible to find out whether there might still be a ship's hull or other cargo materials lying there. However, the possible condition of eventual objects could make them difficult to recover.
Ani