World's Oldest Intact Shipwreck Is 2,400 Years Old

Researchers have found a Greek merchant ship lying on the bottom of the Black Sea off the Bulgarian coast. The ancient ship is more than 2,400 years old and lies on its side more than 2,000m below the surface of the water. Researchers say that the ship is incredibly well preserved.

As for why the ancient ship is so well preserved, the water that it lies in is anoxic with no oxygen present. The ship is 75-feet long and is said to closely resemble the sort of ship that was painted on ancient Greek wine vases. According to researchers who discovered the wreck, it's rudder, rowing benches, and the contents of the ships hold remain intact.

Researchers on the project have mapped the ship using a pair of remotely operated vehicles and it lies at such an extreme dept (1.2 miles down) that the team says it is beyond the reach of modern divers. This means it won't become a target for hunters. The ship was powered by sail and oar; exactly what it was carrying is unknown at this time.

Wreck explorers say that normally they find wine vases scattered about and those containers help to determine where the ship came from, but the cargo is still in the ship's hold in this case. More funding is needed to continue exploring the wreck and scientists are interested because the wreck can shed light on technology, trade, and movement in the area.

In addition to 3D mapping the wreck as it lies on the seafloor, the team also took a sample of the ship for carbon dating. The ship isn't expected to continue deteriorating giving the team time to find funding and continue studying it.

SOURCE: BBC