New Delhi - Scientists from India's National Institute of Oceanography have found artefacts near Dwarka island, off the coast of western Indian state Gujarat, indicating links between ancient Indian and Roman civilizations, reports said Friday.
'During excavation, we found artefacts dating back 3,500 BC 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,' K H Vora, deputy director of marine archeology and project leader, told news agency PTI.
'During archaeological excavations at Dwarka, the westernmost part of India, we came across amphorae shreds of Mediterranean origin,' Vora said, referring to remnants of clay containers used by Romans to transport wine.
'This indicated that Indian and Roman civilizations have similarities with each other through sea routes,' he said.
'What is interesting is that we found a few artefacts just 65 to 80 centimetres below the sea level,' said A S Gaur, an archeologist, with the mission.
The institute's marine archaeology department considered the find to be a milestone in marine history.
Excavations began in 1982 around Dwarka island, a mythological summer palace of Lord Krishna, the incarnation of Vishnu, one of the supreme gods of the Hindu religion.
Scientists studying millenial shoreline changes on the western coast of India, in Gujarat's Gulf of Kutch, have also discovered several stone anchors dating back 2,000 years.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur 
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