Diving into history in King Herod's harbour

CAESAREA, Israel, June 1 (Reuters) Above the glistening waves off the shores of the Israeli city of Caesarea, a group of scuba divers suit up to begin their descent into history.

As they slowly sink underwater, the light disperses to reveal remnants of what experts say was one of the biggest and most sophisticated sea ports of the Roman Empire.

After around 2,000 years, the ancient harbour is again open for business. The tourism business, that is.

Israeli and North American archaeologists discovered the ruins some 40 years ago and, since last year, have worked to preserve the remnants, some of which once rested above the surface, to create Israel's first underwater archaeological museum.

Metal poles with numbered signs mark 36 exhibits lying about 6 metres below the Mediterranean's surface over an area of 73,000 square metres.

Among the artefacts are remains of a sunken Roman vessel, giant anchors, loading piers, marble and granite columns and an ancient breakwater.

With waterproof maps and an instructor to guide them, scuba divers can manoeuvre through the larger artefacts by following ropes tied between the poles placed in the sea bed. Snorkelers can view remnants found in more shallow waters.

A ticket costs 12 shekels (about 2.50 dollar), not including the rental of equipment, which costs between 65 and 195 shekels.

''The visibility was low but that just made it more dramatic,'' said Boaz Gross, a 22-year-old student. ''You feel like you're in an ancient atmosphere and you feel the depth of the history of the place.'' However, Yossi Kwart, a 25-year-old student, said strong currents put a damper on his dive.

''The fact that the dive was very difficult took away from some of the fun,'' he said.

ROMAN HISTORY The Romans conquered Caesarea in 63 BC. King Herod named the port city in 22 BC to honour his patron Caesar Augustus and commissioned the building of the harbour, as well as other major projects, the remains of which are now on display.

The city later became the Roman provincial capital of Judea, a region which now encompasses Israel and the Palestinian territories.

Sarah Arenson, a maritime historian involved in the project, said the ancient harbour first opened in 10 BC and served for more than a century as the main gateway for goods such as exotic spices, textiles, dyes and cosmetics shipped to the Roman Empire from places as distant as the Far East.

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