'Underwater museum' of shipwrecks found

Archaeology officials said today they have found five well-preserved Roman shipwrecks with their cargo of vases, pots and other objects largely intact.

The ships are submerged between 330 and 490ft off the coast of Ventotene, a tiny island that is part of an archipelago between Rome and Naples.

Italy’s culture ministry said they date from the 1st century BC to the 4th century and carried wine amphorae, kitchen tools and some metal and glass objects that have yet to be identified. The spot was a busy route and there were dangerous sea currents.

Annalisa Zarattini, the head of the ministry’s office for underwater archaeology, said today the site looks like an “underwater museum”.