Precious Roman gem engraved with mythological figure discovered in Italian lagoon

A precious agate gem, engraved with a mythological figure, was found in recent days during the third archaeological excavation campaign on the submerged Roman site at Lio Piccolo (Cavallino-Treporti) conducted by the Department of Humanities of the Ca' University Foscari Venice under the direction of Professor Carlo Beltrame, assisted by Dr. Elisa Costa, with the technical support of the Idra company of Venice.

Such a find supports the hypothesis that it is a site frequented by wealthy Romans, perhaps precisely that villa that has been hypothesized by others. 'In a lagoon environment it is a rather rare find, to date we have news of two other precious gems found in Torcello and at Barena del Vigno', says Beltrame.

The excavation was carried out under a concession from the Ministry of Culture - Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the Municipality of Venice and the Lagoon, with the contact person dott. Alessandro Asta, and with the collaboration of the Command of the Naval Station of the Guardia di Finanza in Venice. The campaign was funded by the CHANGES project "Cultural Heritage Active Innovation for Sustainable Society", part of the PNRR, in which Ca' Foscari University is a partner of Spoke 1 "Historical Landscapes, Traditions and Cultural Identities" coordinated by the Aldo Moro University of Bari, and by the Municipality of Cavallino Treporti.

Underwater investigations have allowed us to better understand the structure with a base of sesquipedal bricks and walls in oak wood planks from the 1st-2nd century AD. used for the conservation of oysters. The tank, which lies at -350 cm above mean sea level, still contains hundreds of molluscs inside and is equipped with a wooden sluice gate which was supposed to divide it into at least two rooms. The scientific collaboration with the biologist Davide Tagliapietra of the CNR-ISMAR and the geologist Paolo Mozzi of the University of Padua has made it possible to identify this structure as a basin for the conservation before consumption, rather than for breeding, of oysters presumably buried by lagoon sediments due to a sudden event. The only possible comparison with this singular structure is the imposing fishpond, equipped with a small room for the conservation of oysters, excavated in the Roman site of Lac de Chapelles, port la Nautique, near Narbonne.

'Alongside this system there is a brick paving laid on poles, many fragments of valuable frescoes and some fragments of black and white mosaic which, in the 1980s, prompted the discoverer of this site, the amateur archaeologist Ernesto Canal , to interpret it as a prestigious villa - adds Beltrame - The basin and the floor plans offer a precious marker, because they are well dated, for the study of the variations of the sea and of the local subsidence'.

Some fragments of black and white mosaic'Archaeology is continuing to give us answers by discovering our roots. The discovery of the precious agate gem is another piece that confirms the importance of continuing to finance research projects in order to outline an identity of the Cavallino-Treporti area and community in the past. - says the councilor for culture Alberto Ballarin - The collaboration with prof. Beltrame is also taking shape with the scientific dissemination of the underwater archaeological discoveries of the northern lagoon. We are very pleased that you accepted our invitation to participate in public meetings with citizens to share the experience and activity of the excavations.'

The investigations were attended by doctoral students as well as students of maritime archeology who had the opportunity to gain experience in excavation and underwater documentation.