The Sunken Ship In The Black Sea
AFP PHOTO/Black Sea MAP/EEF ExpeditionsEnhanced 3D imaging of the remains of the 2,400-year-old sunken ship at the bottom of the Black Sea.
When the Black Sea Maritime Archaeology Project surveyed the floor of the Black Sea to analyze prehistoric sea-level changes, they never thought they’d find what is largely believed to be the oldest intact shipwreck in the world.
According to The Guardian, the 75-foot sunken ship remained entirely untouched 1.2 miles below the surface for over 2,400 years. Fortunately, the Black Sea’s oxygen-free water kept both air and animals away from the ship, effectively preserving it across millennia.
For professor Jon Adams, who served as the principal investigator to the project, the 2018 find was unprecedented. “This will change our understanding of shipbuilding and seafaring in the ancient world,” he said.
Adams and his team posit that this sunken ship was an Ancient Greek merchant vessel. Until 2018, this kind of ship was only seen “on the side of Ancient Greek pottery.”
Werner Forman/UIG via Getty ImagesThe “Siren Vase” at the British Museum dates back to 480 B.C., and depicts Homer’s character Odysseus embattled against sirens luring sailors into the depths.
Experts removed a small piece of the ship to carbon-date it, but have left the sunken ship in its final resting place where it remains undisturbed to this day.
