Greek antiquity retrieved off Albanian coast

Durres- Encrusted with tiny shells and smelling of the sea, a 2,400-year-old Greek jar lies in a saltwater bath in Durres Museum, on Albania's Adriatic coast. Part of a sunken shipment of up to 60 ceramic vessels, the 66-centimetre storage jar, or amphora, was the top find from what an archaeological research project organizers say is the first archeological survey of the small Balkan country's seabed. The light-brown clay amphora, probably used to store wine or oil, was found on the last day of the survey off the ancient town of Burundi near Aghioi Saranda, some 300 kilometers from Tirana and opposite the Greek island of Corfu. It dates to the 4th century BC. "Touch it, touch it. It's luck," said mission leader George Robb of the Key West, Fla.-based RPM Nautical Foundation. "You're touching something that was made before Plato was born." The research project is conducted by American and Albanian experts.