An archaeologist dives towards the area of the “Bou Ferrer” wreck, delimited by a metal protection since 2001 • J. A. MOYA / BOU FERRER TEAM In the 1990s, José Bou and Antoine Ferrer, two sports divers from the Nautical Club of Villajoyosa, a small town in the Spanish province of Alicante, were engaged in their favorite pastime:the search for sunken fishing vessels in the area. The two men were photographing the remains of the boats located, with the underwater fauna which covered them, to show the pictures to fishermen curious to know what had happened to their missing boat. At the end of 1999, while returning from an immersion from which they had not drawn the expected results, Bou and Ferrer set out to find La Barqueta , a wooden fishing boat abandoned and intentionally sunk near the port shortly before. It all starts with a stuck anchor The two divers had the coordinates of the location where La Barqueta had crashed. . They went to the scene to locate her using a sonic probe. After dropping anchor, while they were gearing up to begin their descent, an unexpected westerly wind caused them to drift about twenty meters from their initial position. The two men tried to take the anchor with them; pulling on it, they realized it was stuck and decided to dive to free it. When they reached 25 m depth, the two friends saw that the anchor had settled in a vase that looked like a Roman amphora. The same day, they dived three more times to make sure of their discovery and saw several other amphoras. Because the water was murky, the divers couldn't make out anything more than 1m away and so didn't notice the presence of hundreds of containers scattered over the structure of a surprisingly well-preserved ancient ship. Later, when the visibility conditions had improved, the two men returned to the scene with a camera with which they photographed the seabed and the spectacular archaeological remains unfolding there. Also read:Underwater archaeology:how the remains of antiquity are resurfacing. In April 2000, Bou and Ferrer reported their discovery to the Archaeological Museum of Villajoyosa, to which they gave the photographs they had taken. The museum informed the Center for Underwater Archeology of the Community of Valencia, which in January 2001 commissioned archaeologists Carlos de Juan and Gustavo Vivar to join the discoverers in the enclave. After several attempts, the men managed to locate the site. However, once underwater, Bou and Ferrer immediately realized that the place was no longer in the same state. Word of the find had obviously spread and other divers had taken away large numbers of amphoras over the previous months. Alarmed, archaeologists warned that the site would quickly disappear if the looting did not stop. With the discovery of "Bou Ferrer », the archaeologists were able to launch the largest excavation site in Mediterranean covering a Roman ship. Thus, in May 2001, a preservation project was launched to cover all the amphoras with a protective structure. Funded by the General Directorate of Culture of the Valencian Community, the University of Alicante, the Vila Museu and the Yacht Club of Villajoyosa, a team led by Carlos de Juan and Franca Cibecchini undertook in 2006 the excavation of the wreck, renamed "Bou Ferrer" after the names of the divers. Archaeologists identified a Roman ship about thirty meters long, making it the largest Mediterranean excavation site on a Roman ship. The boat was carrying a large load of amphorae, of which about a thousand are now located. Each of them contained 40 kilos of fish sauce made from anchovies, mackerel and horse mackerel. A perilous journey The amphorae were stored in the hold and wrapped in vine shoots to protect them during the voyage. On either side of the cabin were found twelve lead ingots from the Sierra Morena, each weighing 64 kilos and bearing the countermark "Germanic Emperor Augustus", which made it possible to date the wreck of the I er century AD. Thanks to the excellent condition of the wood of the ship, it was also possible to analyze its construction technique. A study published in 2014 concludes that the boat was born in a shipyard in the region of Neapolis (Naples). It is possible to reconstruct quite faithfully the sinking of the "Bou Ferrer". This one sailed in the middle of the I st century in a port located near Cadiz, from where it probably sailed for Rome or Narbonne, carrying on board a precious cargo of amphorae and ingots. It is believed that he got into trouble as he headed for the Balearic Islands. His crew then made a maneuver in the direction of the wind to approach the shore and get out of trouble. In vain:the heavy merchant ship sank just a kilometer from the coast, where it lay for nearly 2,000 years. Find out more Internet:www.bouferrer.org (site in Spanish) Timeline1999 José Bou and Antoine Ferrer locate a Roman wreck of the I st century AD. AD off Villajoyosa.2001 The Underwater Archeology Center of the Valencian Community takes over the management of the excavations of the wreck.2006-2007 The excavations of the "Bou Ferrer" begin. There are thousands of amphoras and lead ingots.2013-2014 Guided tours of the site are launched and the place of construction of the ship is confirmed. Imperial Ingots The lead ingots discovered in the hold of the "Bou Ferrer" bear the inscription "IMP GER AUG", which can only refer to an emperor who won victories in Germania:Caligula, Claudius, Nero or Domitian (researchers are currently leaning towards Nero). You can also read the letters "CCV", which refer to the weight of the ingot, namely 205 Roman pounds, or 64 kilos.
