Ancient Shipyard Found Near Rome

Investigators with the Portus collaboration announce the discovery of a large shipyard close to the international airport currently serving the Italian capital, Rome. The long-lost structure is remarkable in its magnitude, and hints at Roman ship-building activities centered around the ancient city.

The Portus Project itself is a lot larger in scope, seeking to uncover all facilities pertaining to Rome's role as the most important port in the Roman Empire. Now and then, experts stumble upon discoveries as magnificent as this one.

The new structure was discovered by archaeologists at the University of Southampton, in the United Kingdom, and the British School at Rome, who were coordinated in their efforts by Professor Simon Keay. Experts from the Cooperativa Parsifal, in Rome, were also a part of the investigation.

According to the team, the shipyard's main building was at least 145 meters (475.7 feet) in length, and was oriented alongside a west-east axis. Early analysis of recovered bricks indicate the structures originates in the Trajanic period (possibly between 110 and 117 AD).

The primary attraction point on the edifice was a large chain of brick-faced concrete piers, which appeared to separate 8 different bays. As illustrated in the picture to the left, this implies that workers could repair or build up to 8 ships at the same time, in a single building.

Each of the bays was calculated to be about 60 meters (196 feet) long, meaning that the Roman Empire could construct some pretty sturdy vessels within. The building itself was about 15 meters (49.2 feet) tall, sufficient to accommodate a ship without its main mast and sails.

“The current excavations have uncovered a wide vaulted passage that defined the western side of the complex, as well as the most westerly of the bays,” a press release on the Portus Project website says.

“They suggest that the individual bays were approx 12 [meters, or 39.3 feet] wide and 58 [meters, or 190 feet] long, that the rectangular piers measured [approximately 2 by 1.5 meters, or 6.5 by 4.9 feet], and piers at the southern end measured [3 by 1.7 meters, or 9.8 by 5.5 feet]” the document adds.

“This work complements extensive geophysical survey and topographical work carried out in recent years and suggests that the building as a whole comprised around ten of these bays that together would have presented a monumental arched façade onto the Trajanic basin,” the team concludes.