amphora on the beach

The museum said that while the family was rescuing freshwater turtles on the beach, they saw an unusual boat approaching them in the water. A historian by profession, Yuriy Poslovsky, after catching the object, realized that it was a Byzantine amphora.

The family decided to donate it to the museum. Remembering the looted local history museum in their hometown, they decided to donate the artifact to Kherson. The amphora was delivered to its destination today and will take its rightful place in the exhibition later on.
– Wrote representatives of the Kherson Regional Museum of Local History.

Amphora delivered to the museum / Photo of Kherson Regional Museum of Local History

It is reported that the amphora was made of clay. It was not suffocated thanks to the grounding plug formed on the neck of the ship, which prevented the air outlet and the inflow of water. It was probably washed from a flooded coastal area or from a sunken ship.

The Byzantine Empire arose as a result of the division of the Roman Empire into West and East in 395 AD. After a series of crises it was finally destroyed by the Ottomans in 1453. Wine or olive oil can be stored in such amphoras. The hole was sealed with wax or resin.

Yuriy Poslovsky hands over the amphora to the staff of the local history museum / Photo of the Kherson Regional Museum of Local History

It is currently unclear at what age the amphora was discovered and what was hidden inside. The museum is likely to conduct detailed research.