An incredible discovery occurred off the coast of Israel: one of the oldest shipwrecks in the world was found, in a good state of preservation.
It’s in the sea depths that sometimes some of the most interesting and adventurous discoveries occur: from precious treasures forgotten for centuries on the seabed to very ancient archaeological evidence of great historical importance. This time, scientists have found a wreck belonging to the Bronze Age, probably the oldest in the world ever found in deep water. Let’s find out something more.
The ancient shipwreck found off the coast of Israel
Almost a year ago, the English company Energean (which searches for natural gas deposits) was carrying out a routine exploration of the seabed off the coast of Israel when its remotely operated underwater vehicle spotted something strange. The experts immediately realized that they were faced with something extraordinary: an ancient wooden commercial ship, dating back to the Bronze Age – a period ranging from 2,300 to 700 BC. The vessel, found about 90 km away from the mainland And at a depth of 1,800 metrescould be the oldest ever discovered in such deep waters.
Although the discovery occurred last July, only a few weeks ago theIsrael Antiquities Authority managed to recover some of the precious artefacts located inside the wreck. And finally some more details about the discovery have emerged: the ship must have been about 12-13 meters long, and probably sank between 1,400 and 1,300 BC, perhaps due to a storm or a pirate attack. In fact, its contents must have been quite interesting at the time: they were spotted hundreds of amphorae who, in all likelihood, transported wine and food from the Middle East to the western coasts (such as Cyprus or Crete).
“The discovery highlights like never before the navigation skills of ancient sailors” – reads the post shared on Facebook by the Israel Antiquities Authority, written by Jacob Sharvit. In fact, until now we believed that at the time we navigated by sight, that is, by keeping an eye on the coast. Instead, the wreck demonstrates that sailors were able to navigate the Mediterranean probably by following celestial bodies, since the location of the find it does not allow you to see the coast and that there were still no instruments such as compasses or astrolabes on board.
The contents of the ship on the seabed of the Mediterranean
Scientists decided to leave the wreck on the seabed, where it was found, so as to preserve it as best as possible also for future generations – in the hope that there will be more suitable tools to study the ship up close. A big step forward, however, was made thanks to the extraction of a small part of its contents. Energean’s underwater robot, in fact, had identified some amphorae present on board the ancient wreck. By modifying the vehicle so that it could collect some of the finds on the seabed, it was possible bring two amphoras to the surface which probably contained honey, olive oil and resin.
Furthermore, thanks to the images recorded by the robot, the experts noticed the presence of at least a hundred other amphorae in the hold, most of them apparently intact – and some hidden under the mud. “The ship is preserved at such a depth that time was frozen at the moment of the disaster. Its structure and the surrounding area have not been disturbed by man, nor affected by the waves and currents that hit shipwrecks in shallower waters,” he explained. Jacob Sharvit.
