Divers find ancient Roman cargo from 1,600-yr old shipwreck in Israel

Artifacts from a merchant ship that sank off the ancient Mediterranean port of Caesarea 1,600 years ago are presented to the press by the Israel Antiquities Authority, Caesarea, Israel, May 16, 2016. The artifacts were discovered by divers in the Mediterranean seabed this April. [Photo/IC]

Archaeologists in Israel have recovered bronze statues and thousands of coins from a merchant ship that sank off the Mediterranean coast some 1,600 years ago during the late Roman period.

The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) said two divers had made the discovery several weeks ago in the ancient harbour of Caesarea in the eastern Mediterranean.

Successive dives recovered a haul including a bronze lamp depicting the image of sun god Sol, a figure of moon goddess Luna, fragments of life-size bronze cast statues as well as two lumps of thousands of coins.