Successive dives recovered the haul, which included a bronze lamp depicting the image of sun god Sol, a figure of moon goddess Luna, fragments of life-size bronze cast statues as well as two lumps of thousands of coins. Archaeologists also found two stashes of coins, still clumped in the shape of the vessel that once carried them. Photo: Israeli Antiquities Authority 
 
 Buried in sand, the bronze statues looked like they were cast yesterday, said experts. "The sand protected the statues; consequently they are in an amazing state of preservation – as though they were cast yesterday rather than 1600 years ago," said Jacob Sharvit, director of the Marine Archaeology Unit of the Israel Antiquities Authority and Dror Planer, deputy director of the unit, in a statement. Advertisement 
 
 The IAA said the remains of a ship were "left uncovered on the sea bottom" and included iron anchors and fragments of jars used for drinking water by the crew. Credit: Marine Archaeology Unit, Israel Antiquities Authority 
 
 Two divers from the city of Ra'anana, Ran Feinstein and Ofer Ra'anan, discovered the wreck on the harbor floor and reported the find to the IAA, which organized an archaeological investigation. "Metal statues are rare archaeological finds because they were always melted down and recycled in antiquity. Photo: Israeli Antiquities Authority 
 
 "When we find bronze artefacts it usually occurs at sea. Because these statues were wrecked together with the ship, they sank in the water and were thus 'saved' from the recycling process." Past marine excavations in Caesarea had uncovered a small number of bronze statues but this haul was much bigger and the sand-protected statues were in "an amazing state" of preservation.  Rare bronze artifacts, part of a large ancient marine cargo of a merchant ship that sank during the Late Roman period 1,600 years ago are seen during a presentation of the Israel Antiquities Authority... (Associated Press) 
 
 CAESAREA, Israel (AP) — A chance discovery by two divers uncovered Israel's biggest find of underwater Roman-era artifacts in three decades, archaeologists said Monday as the priceless objects were showcased for the first time. Photo: AP 
 
 The coins bear the image of the emperor Constantine who ruled the Western Roman Empire (312–324 CE) and was later known as Constantine the Great, ruler of the Roman Empire (324–337 CE), and of Licinius, an emperor who ruled the eastern part of the Roman Empire and was a rival of Constantine, until his downfall in a battle that was waged between the two rulers 
 
 According to Sharvit and Planer: "the range of finds recovered from the sea reflects the large volume of trade and the status of Caesarea's harbor during this time, which was known as period of economic and commercial stability in the wake of the stability of the Roman Empire." Last year divers found a haul of 1000-year-old gold coins inscribed in Arabic on the sea bed off Israel.
– A Roman-era treasure trove has been retrieved thanks to two strokes of luck. The first happened 1,600 years ago when a merchant ship carrying the statues and coins to be recycled sank in the ancient port of Caesarea in Israel. The second came last month when two divers discovered the wreck, reports Live Science. Ran Feinstein and Ofer Raanan found one statue, then another, but "it took us a couple of seconds to understand what was going on," Raanan tells the AP. "It was amazing," he says, noting he dives in the area on alternating weekends and hadn't made any big finds previously. The Israel Antiquities Authority believes the ship got caught in a storm and smashed into rocks. Since the discovery, archaeologists have recovered priceless bronze statues and thousands of coins, per the Sydney Morning Herald and AP. "A marine assemblage such as this has not been found in Israel in the past 30 years," says Jacob Sharvit of the IAA, noting most metal statues were melted down in antiquity. "Because these statues were wrecked together with the ship, they sank in the water and were thus 'saved' from the recycling process." Protected by sand, they're in such good shape that they appear "as though they were cast yesterday," Sharvit adds. There are also two bronze lamps, a statue of a whale, a faucet shaped like a boar, a figure of a moon goddess, and coins depicting emperors Constantine and Licinius. While some objects date to the 1st and 2nd centuries, most are from the 4th century, says Sharvit. (Priceless gold coins were found in the area last year.)