Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Not Alaska Ancient anchorage found at Netanya
A Netanya beach lifeguard who stumbled on an iron anchor while out for a swim has led marine archeologists to uncover the first evidence of an ancient anchorage for sailing vessels in Netanya, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced Tuesday.

The lifeguard, Ofer Harmoni, 37, summoned the archeologists to the scene after noticing the iron anchor near the Netanya shore during a swimming workout two weeks ago.

The authority's marine unit subsequently uncovered five large stone anchors dating back 4,000 years during an underwater survey at the site.