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plunger from Naples , Italy have recover a block of obsidian from the clay of what is likely a Neolithic , or New Stone Age wreck near the island of Capri .
The natural - methamphetamine hydrochloride stoppage is about the size of a very tumid book and weighs almost 17.6 Sudanese pound ( 8 kg ) . There are seeable signs of chiseling on its control surface , and archaeologists think it was an obsidian " essence " that would have been used to make sharp-worded - edged flakes for cutting .
A team of police divers from Naples recovered the obsidian block from the seafloor near the Italian island of Capri on Monday.
The divers , appendage of the Naples Police underwater unit , recovered the artifact on Monday ( Nov. 20 ) on the seafloor at a depth of between 100 and 130 foot ( 30 and 40 time ) harmonise to atranslated statementfrom Italy ’s Ministry of Culture .
The honkytonk took place within sight of Capri ’s famous Blue Grotto — a sea cave once used for private bathing by theRomanemperor Tiberius , who had a palace on the island . The cave is now a tourer attraction that can be visit by gravy boat , but swimming there is prohibited because authority say the wafture and lunar time period make it too dangerous .
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Archaeologists say the underwater area will be thoroughly searched for any other artifacts or parts of the prehistoric ship that may have survived.
Prehistoric wreck
The police diving squad discovered the underwater site earlier this yr and announced it in October , although the exact positioning is being kept cloak-and-dagger to protect it from looters , the statement say .
The obsidian core is the first artifact from the wreck to be recovered , but others are expected to be receive in the same sphere .
Archaeologists call up the natural glass was once part of a cargo carried on a vessel during the Neolithic menstruation , more than 5,000 years ago . However , the watercraft itself is unlikely to be get hold , as wood that old unremarkably rot away .
The underwater wreck site was found by police divers in October, within sight of the entrance to the famous sea-cave on Capri known as the Blue Grotto.(Image credit: Naples Superintendency for Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape)
The archaeologists involve praised the expertise of the constabulary divers , note that the land site lies in comparatively deep water that made archaeologic investigation and recovery unmanageable .
The artefact is now in warehousing in Naples and will shortly be cleaned , examined and save , the command said .
Obsidian core
Obsidian is a dense black glass ground in cooled lava . It fracture into pieces with sharp edges and was used in ancient clock time to make cutting and piercing tools .
It ’s not yet known where this obsidian originated , but there are deposits of it on some volcanic island of the Mediterranean , including the offshore islands of Palmarola , near Naples , and Lipari , near Sicily .
Maritime archaeologistSean Kingsley , the editor in chief - in - chief ofWreckwatch clip , said the obsidian could have been intend for trade but may also have been used for take a crap ritual items , like those found in Capri ’s NeolithicGrotta delle Felci .
Archaeologists think the obsidian block was a “core” to make sharp-edged flakes for cutting and piercing, and that others from the prehistoric ship’s cargo may still lie on the seafloor.(Image credit: Naples Superintendency for Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape)
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Capri’s Blue Grotto served as a temple to the Roman gods of the sea and was used for private bathing by the emperor Tiberius, who had a palace on the island.
Kingsley , who was n’t demand in the find , severalize Live Science in an email that Neolithic seafaring engineering was exemplify by five canoes from thesubmerged " La Marmotta " siteunder Lake Bracciano near Rome , which have been dated to between 5690 and 5250 B.C.
Each canoe was about 34 feet ( 10 MB ) prospicient and there are indications at least one was fit with sail .
" These trade may have sail the Mediterranean , perhaps with two canoes strapped together to take shape catamaran , which could take up to five [ metric tonnes , or 5.5 tons ] of cargo , " Kingsley say .
