Intact Roman wine amphora found in the Arade River

09 July 2018

diver A beautifully preserved, intact Roman amphora has been discovered by an underwater archaeological team working in the waters of the Arade river in Portimão.

The June discovery of the amphora, used to ship wine around 2,000 years ago, is said by team leader Cristóvão Fonseca, to be the best example in Portugal to have been found in situ.

In an interview with local media service Sul Informação, Fonseca said the find was, "an amphora of the type 'Dressel 1.' In Portimão Museum there is another of this type, but the top is missing. And in other museums there are others, but they are the result of fortuitous finds, often by fishermen who collect them in their nets."

This amphora was found in a complex area with several sunken ships, both ancient and modern, making the dive site especially testing.

Other finds include a glass bottle from an C18th wreck and exposed timbers from which samples will be taken to help identify their age and origin.

"In 2004, when I was working at the same site, we had already made a preliminary plan, but now, with new technologies, almost 15 years later, it has been possible to take a more detailed and more exhaustive record," explained Fonseca.

This archaeological work allowed the "identification and collection of data and artifacts which will contribute significantly to the recognition of the historical importance of the river Arade," Fonseca said to Sul Informação.

The archaeologist said that, "both the archaeological excavation and the registration of sunken ships have not been carried out in the Arade for more than ten years, and there have been few initiatives like this in Portugal, so this is proving to be an important initiative and an example to follow at national level.”

The work is being carried out ahead of the redevelopment of the dock area for tourism purposes, including dredging and the extension of the quayside.

The underwater archeology initiative was a collaboration between Portimão Council, through the Museum of Portimão, and the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities of the New University of Lisbon.

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