"Prehistoric Venice" Uncovered Near Pompeii

This comes from ANSA.it news:

2006-11-28 18:05
Mythical canal city emerges
'Prehistoric Venice' comes to light near Pompeii
NAPLES (ANSA) An ancient canal city is emerging outside Pompeii, Italian archaeologists say.

Recent digs have unearthed traces of the mythical Sarrasti people, previously known only from Etruscan descriptions.

A large dock has been found, anchored by huge poles and linked to a series of canals dating back to the Middle Bronze Age (2000-1600 BC).

Huts and other wooden structures have been uncovered, perfectly preserved in the age-old mud - making the site unique in Italy.

"We like to call this settlement Italy's 'prehistoric Venice'," said Pompeii archeological superintendent Pietro Giovanni Guzzo.

Archeologists have also found some of the artefacts that made the site at Longola near Pompeii famous in the ancient world, Guzzo said.

"We have oak canoes. We have countless objects carved out of animal horn and bone, as well as bronze and ceramic pieces," Guzzo said, predicting that Longola would "soon have a tourist site all of its own".

The latest object taken out of the soil was a long, strong, tapered pickaxe-like tool.

"This looks like it did a lot of the donkey work at this hard-working, prosperous city," Guzzo said.

"It symbolizes the strength of the Sarrasti," he said, showing the pick to reporters.

The Sarrasti are believed to have dominated the area around the Sarno river until the arrival of the Greeks and Etruscans.

Historians say the city at Longola survived until the foundation of Pompeii in the Sixth Century BC.

The photo comes from the article on ANSA.it