"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2015-08-24T18:06:36Z"
data-video-section="us"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2015/08/24/flying-aircraft-carrier-wreckage-survey-orig.cnn"
data-branding-key=""
data-video-slug="Flying Aircraft Carrier Wreckage Survey Orig"
data-first-publish-slug="Flying Aircraft Carrier Wreckage Survey Orig"
data-video-tags="accidents,accidents, disasters and safety,aircraft,aircraft accidents,aviation and aerospace industry,business and industry sectors,georgia,government and public administration,government bodies and offices,macon,marine transportation,marine vessels,military,military aircraft,military vessels,north america,science,southeastern united states,transportation and warehousing,united states,us department of defense,us federal departments and agencies,us federal government,us navy"
data-details="">
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2016-03-15T15:29:43Z"
data-video-section="world"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2016/03/15/vasco-da-gama-esmeralda-shipwreck-found-sdg-orig.cnn"
data-branding-key=""
data-video-slug="vasco da gama esmeralda shipwreck found sdg orig"
data-first-publish-slug="vasco da gama esmeralda shipwreck found sdg orig"
data-video-tags="accidents,accidents, disasters and safety,middle east,middle east and north africa,oman,ship and boat accidents"
data-details="">
Video Ad Feedback
Vasco da Gama's Esmeralda believed to have been found
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2015-07-14T14:43:12Z"
data-video-section="world"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2015/07/14/wwii-australia-shipwreck-survey-orig.cnn"
data-branding-key=""
data-video-slug="WWII Australia Shipwreck Survey Orig"
data-first-publish-slug="WWII Australia Shipwreck Survey Orig"
data-video-tags="accidents,accidents, disasters and safety,australia,business and industry sectors,marine transportation,oceania,ship and boat accidents,sydney,transportation and warehousing,unrest, conflicts and war,world war ii"
data-details="">
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2017-01-16T17:22:58Z"
data-video-section="world"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2017/01/16/600-year-old-buddha-statue-emerges-from-lake-in-china.cnn"
data-branding-key=""
data-video-slug="600-year-old Buddha statue emerges from lake in China"
data-first-publish-slug="600-year-old Buddha statue emerges from lake in China"
data-video-tags="anthropology and archeology,asia,belief, religion and spirituality,buddhism,business and industry sectors,business, economy and trade,china,east asia,energy and utilities,history and historical discoveries,religious groups,society,utilities industry,water and wastewater management"
data-details="">
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2015-04-22T00:38:37Z"
data-video-section="us"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2015/04/21/dnt-mi-shipwrecks-discovered-in-lake-michigan.wxmi"
data-branding-key=""
data-video-slug="dnt mi shipwrecks discovered in lake michigan"
data-first-publish-slug="dnt mi shipwrecks discovered in lake michigan"
data-video-tags="accidents,environment and natural resources,lake michigan,lakes (landform),marine transportation,ship and boat accidents,transportation and warehousing,us coast guard,us department of defense"
data-details="">
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2015-03-13T06:55:24Z"
data-video-section="world"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2015/03/13/orig-5-things-to-know-paul-allen-japanese-battleship-musashi.cnn"
data-branding-key="5-things-to-know"
data-video-slug="orig 5 things to know paul allen japanese battleship musashi"
data-first-publish-slug="orig 5 things to know paul allen japanese battleship musashi"
data-video-tags="asia,east asia,japan,marine transportation,marine vessels,microsoft corp,military,military vessels,paul allen,unrest, conflicts and war,world war ii"
data-details="">
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2015-03-05T19:38:23Z"
data-video-section="business"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/business/2015/03/05/wbt-pkg-mann-allen-battleship-found.cnn"
data-branding-key=""
data-video-slug="wbt pkg mann allen battleship found"
data-first-publish-slug="wbt pkg mann allen battleship found"
data-video-tags="accidents,marine transportation,north america,ship and boat accidents,united states,unrest, conflicts and war,wealthy people,world war ii"
data-details="">
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2014-11-05T23:35:28Z"
data-video-section="us"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2014/11/05/dnt-shipwreck-found-in-new-jersey.wcbs"
data-branding-key=""
data-video-slug="dnt shipwreck found in new jersey"
data-first-publish-slug="dnt shipwreck found in new jersey"
data-video-tags=""
data-details="">
Divers find ancient Roman coins on shipwreck off coast of Israel
Discovery includes bronze lamp of sun god Sol, statue of moon goddess Luna
Caesarea, IsraelCNN
—
The two divers knew they found something special in the shallow waters of the ancient Roman port of Caesarea, on the Mediterranean Sea.
What they didn’t realize was that they had discovered a 1,600-year-old shipwreck, its valuable cargo still in the remains of the deteriorating wooden hold.
An underwater survey conducted in recent weeks has revealed the extent of the find, first spotted in late April.
Divers found a bronze lamp depicting the ancient Roman sun god Sol, a statue of the moon goddess Luna, fragments of jars, and more. One of the most significant finds was two metallic lumps weighing approximately 40 pounds (18 kilograms) and made up of thousands of ancient coins, fused together in the shape of the pottery vessel in which they were held.
The rare bronze artifacts that were discovered in Caesarea.
Clara Amit, Courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority
The coins bear the image of Emperor Constantine, who ruled the Roman Empire in the 4th century, and of his rival, Licinius, who governed the eastern Roman Empire for a time.
The location of the shipwreck holds the key to part of the story, says Jacob Sharvit, director of the Marine Archaeology Unit of the Israel Antiquities Authority.
“A large merchant ship was carrying a cargo of metal slated recycling, which apparently encountered a storm at the entrance to the harbor and drifted until it smashed into the seawall and the rocks.”
Lumps of coins that were discovered at sea, weighing a total of around 20 kilograms.
Clara Amit, Courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority
Iron anchors at the wreck site indicate an attempt to stop the ship from crashing into the shore, Sharvit says, but the waves and wind were too powerful. The ship wrecked in shallow water, and layers of sand hid the wreck and its valuable cargo for more than 1,000 years.
“Metal statues are rare archaeological finds because they were always melted down and recycled in antiquity,” said Sharvit.
“When we find bronze artifacts it usually occurs at sea. Because these statues were wrecked together with the ship, they sank in the water and were thus ‘saved’ from the recycling process,” continued.
“The sand protected the statues; consequently, they are in an amazing state of preservation – as though they were cast yesterday.”
An Ancient Roman figurine discovered from the shipwreck.
Courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority
Caesarea, named in honor of Roman Emperor Augustus Caesar, was built as a major Roman port on the Mediterranean Sea around 20 BC. Today it is a national park and popular tourist destination in Israel, including a growing number of scuba divers who visit the site.
This isn’t the only valuable find in the Caesarea harbor. In February 2015, divers found nearly 2,000 gold coins – the biggest discovery of gold coins ever discovered in Israel.