Archaeologists excavate the hull of a wooden ship, an ancient Roman flat-hulled riverine vessel at the ancient city of Viminacium, near Kostolac, Serbia, August 2, 2023.
REUTERS/Zorana Jevtic/File PhotoKOSTOLAC, Serbia, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Archaeologists in Serbia are painstakingly brushing sand and soil off the ancient woodwork of a Roman ship discovered by miners in a vast opencast coal quarry.
"We may assume that this ship is Roman, but we are unsure of its exact age," he told Reuters at the dusty site hanging precariously above a vast open coal pit.
The intention is to put the latest discovery on display with thousands of artefacts unearthed from Viminacium near the town of Kostolac, 70 km (45 miles) east of Belgrade.
Mladen Jovicic, who is part of the team working on the newly-discovered ship, said moving its 13-metre hull without breaking it would be tough.
Persons:
Zorana, Viminacium, Miomir Korac, Mladen Jovicic, Aleksandar Vasovic, Andrew Cawthorne
Organizations:
REUTERS, Reuters, Thomson
Locations:
Viminacium, Kostolac, Serbia, Roman, Moesia Superior, Belgrade