The business end of an ancient Roman anchor discovered off the Algarve’s coast in 2009 is soon to be on display in Albufeira.
The 2,400-year old artifact’s final resting place will be the Municipal Museum of Archaeology as it now has been restored and prepared for the 21st century and put on display for the public.
The ancient anchor measures two metres across, weighs about 300 kilos and dates from the fourth century BC. It was discovered three kilometres off the Albufeira coast, south of the beaches of São Rafael and Galé, by two divers from the Easydivers subaqua centre. They were testing new equipment and came across the large anchor which survived the ravages of sea and time as it is made of lead.
The size and weight indicate the anchor was used by a substantial Roman trading vessel which would have carried the large lead and wooden anchor due to its stopping power.
The anchor was sent for conservation and restoration to the National Center for Nautical and Underwater Archaeology in Lisbon and during the preparation period underwent a long process of stabilisation as it had been submerged for so many centuries.
The anchor is at the Municipal Museum of Archaeology in Albufeira and will be on display for the coming summer season.
