Fragments believed to be from the cargo of a Neolithic-era ship on the seabed near a famous sea cave have been found by boffins.
The objects – made from obsidian – are estimated to be more than 4,000 years old.
Obsidian is a dark volcanic glass formed by very rapid solidification of lava.
It is sometimes described as the “black gold of the Stone Age”.
It was used to make cutting tools.
The remains, which were submerged more than 40 metres deep, were discovered by the underwater unit of the Naples Police in October.
The first mission to recover them took place on 20 November near the famous Grotta Bianca sea cave in Capri, Italy.
The first object pulled from the seabed was an obsidian core measuring approximately 28x20x15cm and weighing nearly 8kg.
It shows traces of chiselling and craftsmanship on its surface, underwater archaeologists said.
It will be cleaned and restored.
Officials now hope to survey the seabed more extensively in a bid to find the ship’s hull and further cargo material.
No Neolithic hull has been found in the Mediterranean to date.
Officials hope the upcoming recovery operations will deepen the understanding of ancient life on Capri and in the Mediterranean in general.
The oldest known intact shipwreck is that of a Greek merchant ship found more than a mile under the surface of the Black Sea around 50 miles off the Bulgarian coast.
It has been radiocarbon dated to 2,400 years ago.
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