Marine archaeologists announced this week that the oldest deep-sea shipwreck ever discovered has been found in the Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of Israel.
The 3,300-year-old shipwreck was loaded with hundreds of well-preserved jugs that transported wine, cooking oil, fruit and other products across the Mediterranean Sea.
Historians say the discovery is significant because the ship was found more than a mile below the ocean’s surface and far enough from land that its location offers clues about how ancient sailors navigated by the stars, rather than relying on views of the coastline.
Archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority described the shipwreck as “a unique find worldwide”, saying its items were “almost perfectly” and preserved “from the moment of the disaster and sinking”.
“This is the world’s oldest ship ever found in deep sea,” the group said in a translated announcement on Facebook on Thursday. The group said the ship dates to the Bronze Age, which art historians define as the period in the Near East between 3600 B.C. and 1200 B.C., according to the Harvard Art Museums.
What do we know about Mediterranean shipwrecks?
According to the Israel Antiquities Authority, the ship, which dates to around 1400-1300 B.C., was discovered about 56 miles off Israel’s north coast — a considerable distance from shore for a ship of that time.
The Israel Antiquities Authority said the find was further evidence that sailors of the time calculated angles between the sun and the stars to navigate their way.
“This discovery teaches us about the remarkable navigational abilities of our ancestors,” the research team said in a statement, which enabled them to “surf to shore without making eye contact.”
According to the Israel Antiquities Authority, there is evidence that the ship may have sunk in a storm, as it shows signs of erosion from being “distressed in a storm at sea,” or it may have been attacked by pirates, “a phenomenon known since the Late Bronze Age.”
Researchers say the ship, more than 40 feet long, was remarkably well preserved because it had not been disturbed by waves or human activity, as is often the case with shipwrecks found in shallow waters.
The vessel contains hundreds of water jugs dating back to the Canaanite civilization that existed in what is now Israel, between 2000 and 1000 B.C.