Archaeologists have recovered thousands of coins and other objects from a merchant ship that sank in the Mediterranean some 1,600 years ago during the late Roman period.

Two amateur divers made the discovery several weeks ago in the ancient harbor of Caesarea.

Jacaob Sharvit of the Israel Antiquities Authority says the findings paint a picture of a rich life. 

"It's one of the largest Roman cargo that we saw, I think that in the last decade... having a lot of parts of statues, oil lamps, bronze oil lamps and something like 20 kilograms of coins that give us more information about the harbor of Caesarea, how it was served in the early 4th. century and telling us some more about the glories of Caesarea and how rich was the city at that time."

There have been marine excavations in Caesarea before. But nothing quite like this has been found.

A discovery that's already teaching researchers about a way a life that has long since passed.