A Greek merchant ship dating back more than 2,400 years has been found lying on its side off the Bulgarian Black Sea coast.
An ancient Greek trading ship dating back more than 2,400 years has been found virtually intact at the bottom of the Black Sea, researchers said on Tuesday 23-10-2018 .. The 23m (75ft) wreck, found in the Black Sea by an Anglo-Bulgarian team, is being hailed as officially the world's oldest known intact shipwreck. During the three-year project, researchers used specialist remote deep-water camera systems previously used in offshore oil and gas exploration to map the sea floor. "A small piece of the vessel has been carbon dated and it is confirmed as the oldest intact shipwreck known to mankind," the project said in a statement.
The ship, which is lying on its side with its rudder, rowing benches and even the contents of its hold intact. The team said the vessel, previously only seen in an intact state on the side of ancient Greek pottery, was found at a depth of more than 2,000 metres (6,500 feet). Around 400 BC was a time when the Black Sea was a trading hub filled with Greek colonies. The water at that depth is anoxic, or oxygen-free, meaning that organic material can be preserved for thousands of years. Lying more than 2,000m below the surface, it is also beyond the reach of modern divers.
The Anglo-Bulgarian team believe the Black Sea wreck dates back to the Fourth Century BC, perhaps 100 years after the Siren Vase was painted ~ Image credit: WERNER FORMAN/GETTY IMAGES
"A ship, surviving intact, from the Classical world, lying in over 2km of water, is something I would never have believed possible," said Professor Jon Adams from the University of Southampton in southern England, the project's main investigator. "This will change our understanding of shipbuilding and seafaring in the ancient world," he said.