This enthralling book, containing all the ingredients of high adventure, recalls what is known of the Etruscan people, both from contemporary histories and from their tombs and cities, and suggests how much more this long-lost ship could tell us about a culture that still remains largely an enigma. But most of all it is a personal account of the hazards of diving to great depths, of the exhilaration of discovery and the ravages of looters. It brings to life the incredible beauty of the world beneath the sea, with its rich population of plant and animal life. Illustrated with photographs in colour and black and white, taken mostly by the author, "Tarquin's Ship" presents a first-hand report of underwater archaeology at its most dramatic, the story of an on-going expedition to save what could be one of the most important discoveries of our time.