Researchers found 12 structures 2.7 meters tall and 52.7 meters tall under the sea of Venice. It was spread in the form of a road from south-west to north-east for 1140 meters.
A picture of a street found in Venice, created using a computer
A road built during the time of the Roman Empire has been discovered under the sea in Venice, Italy. About 2000 years ago, this area used to be dry and it could be reached through roads. Fantina Madricardo of the Institute of Marine Sciences in Venice and her colleagues discovered the road after mapping the floor of an area of the lagoon called the Treporti Channel. Madricardo said, we believe that this may have been a network of Roman roads in the north-east Venice area.
In the 1980s, archaeologist Ernesto Canal suggested that ancient man-made structures were submerged in the Venetian Lagoon. Because of this suggestion, this issue has been debated for decades. But it could not be confirmed till now. This is because the technology that existed earlier was not advanced enough to detect such a challenging environment. Fantina Madricardo said the area was extremely difficult for divers to examine because there are strong currents and the water in the Venetian lagoon is very dirty. Because of this it is difficult to see under it.
The road network was spread up to 1140 meters
The team used a multibeam echosounder to trace the roads of the Roman Empire. It was mounted on top of a boat, so that it could be found out what was under water. This device sends waves underwater, which hit the surface of the lagoon and come up. Through this, the team helps to make a picture of the structures present in the water. Researchers found 12 structures 2.7 meters tall and 52.7 meters tall. It was spread in the form of a road from south-west to north-east for 1140 meters. The appearance and layout of these structures suggest that there may have been a settlement in this area.
2000 years old road
Researchers believe that this road is about 2000 years old and it has sunk over time. The reason behind this may have been human activities, which diverted the course of rivers and dried up the sediment area, which was necessary to be kept above water. James Gerrard of Newcastle University in Britain says that the road may have been providing access to this rich environment. The land and water sediments are full of resources that people may have been exploiting. At the same time, the team is also continuing the picture of this road of ancient times, so that it can be seen what the road would have looked like.
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