Panaji, March 29: SCIENTISTS from the city-based National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) have found artefacts near Dwarka island off Gujarat coast which indicate close links between Indian and Roman civilisations. "During the excavation, we found artefacts dating back 3,500 years which indicate that India's maritime history is much older and Indians used to travel by sea even before Vasco da Gama touched Indian shores," said Dr K H Vora, deputy director and project leader, Marine Archaeology.

"Archaeological excavations at Bet (island) Dwarka, which is the western-most part of India, also revealed an interesting cultural sequence commencing from pre-historic period (3,800 years Before Present) to historical period (1,600 Before Present)," he said. "Interestingly, we came across amphorae shreds of Mediterranean origin. This indicates that Indian and Roman civilisations have similarities with each other through sea route," Vora stated. NIO's Marine Archaeology wing which is continuously exploring coasts of Somnath, Vijaydurg, Sindhudurg and Goa besides Dwarka, consider the revelation as a milestone in marine history.

NIO scientists, during their study on shoreline changes during last 2,000 years on the Saurashtra Coast of India, off-Gulf of Kutch, have encountered large number of stone anchors dating back 2,000 years. "That means, the stone anchors were used even before iron anchor came in use by the ships which were anchored off-Gujarat coast," Vohra stated.