Possible Port Identified Near Submerged Etruscan Temple

SANTA MARINELLA, ITALY—Traces of a possible Etruscan port have been found some 300 feet off the coast of central Italy, under about five feet of water, according to a Greek Reporter article. Divers under the direction of Mauro Giorgi of Sapienza University were conducting a survey of the seafloor near the remnants of the Etruscan temple at Punta della Vipera when they found carved limestone blocks forming a double row in an L-shape. The large space enclosed by the limestone blocks had been filled with boulders and smaller stones. A gap between the blocks may have helped to keep the structure from filling with silt. It may have served as a landing site for visitors to the temple, which was constructed in the sixth century B.C. and rebuilt in the late fourth century B.C. Fragments of red clay tile found at both the temple and its possible landing site also link the two structures, Giorgi explained. For more on the Etruscans, go to "Etruscan Burial Crown."