Navigating the Neolithic

The discovery of ancient obsidian artifacts hints at the potential seafaring past of our ancestors—a find that one expert said would be mind-blowing’

- ARISTOS GEORGIOU

IN THE DEPTHS OFF ITALY, DIVERS MADE A DIScovery that could rewrite history. They found a series of ancient, enigmatic artifacts made from volcanic glass, potentially linked to a Neolithic shipwreck-a revelation that could be, as one expert put it in language not usually found in the domain of scientific research, "mind-blowing."

In October, divers from the underwater unit of the Naples Police identified the submerged remains, which are made from a material called obsidian, near Capri-an island in the Bay of Naples overlooked by the volcano Mount Vesuvius on the mainland.

The pieces of obsidian, a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed by the rapid cooling of lava with a particular chemical composition, lie on the seabed at a depth of 100 to 130 feet, close to a sea cave on the island's coast known as the Grotta Bianca, or White Grotto, according to the Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape (SABAP) for the Naples Metropolitan Area.

The organization said in a press release that the obsidian artifacts could have been part of the cargo of a ship from the Neolithic era, or New Stone Age. The date range for this stage of human development differs depending on geographic location. In Europe as a whole, the Neolithic era roughly spanned the years 70002000 B.C. But in the central-western region of the Mediterranean, where Capri lies, the timespan is closer to 6000-3500 B.C.

If evidence of a Neolithic wreck is found at the site, the discovery would be of great significance, Sean Kingsley, editor-in-chief of Wreckwatch magazine, told Newsweek. But at the moment, no actual parts of a Neolithic vessel have been found at the site, and some experts have urged caution regarding this interpretation of the obsidian artifacts.