A pair of divers swimming at the site of an ancient Roman seaport in Israel spotted a previously-undiscovered shipwreck that was revealed to contain a bevy of incredible artifacts.
The remarkable find came about after the divers saw parts of the sunken ship emerging from the sand on the seafloor.
After alerting Israeli authorities to their discovery, the country's antiquities agency launched their own dive at the site and recovered a breathtaking array of materials from over 1,600 years ago.
Experts were particularly impressed by how well-preserved the artifacts were, specifically bronze lamps and statues that depicted Roman gods and goddesses.
Since such statues were regularly melted down to created newer artistic creations, these newfound pieces are considered extremely rare and of enormous historic value.
Also found inside the shipwreck were a pair of enormous lumps of Roman coins that had congealed into the shape of the containers which once held them and weighed a whopping fifty pounds each.
Officials studying the newfound relics marveled that the shipwreck yielded some of the best discoveries of the last thirty years.
Considering the significance of their discovery, it's fortunate that the divers chose to tell authorities about their find rather than simply swim away with some unique and ancient mementos from their trip.
Source: RedOrbit