Oldest 'ghost ship treasure' discovered in Eastern Mediterranean

(NLDO) - A 3,300-year-old "ghost ship" has just been discovered off the coast of Israel, not only full of goods but also promising to rewrite an important part of history.

According to Sci-News , the ancient "ghost ship" and its cargo are estimated to date back to the 13th century BC, making it the oldest shipwreck found in the deep waters of the Eastern Mediterranean.

Israel: Phát hiện — Two of the ancient vases from the "ghost ship" were brought to the surface for study, still intact - Photo: ISRAEL ANTIQUES AUTHORITY

Dr Jacob Sharvit, head of the maritime unit at the Israel Antiquities Authority, said this was a world-class discovery that promises to change what humanity knows about ancient maritime history.

The 12-14 meter long ghost ship appears to have sunk in a crisis, either due to a storm or an attempted pirate attack, some 90 kilometers off the Israeli coast.

It was an extremely dangerous route for ancient sailors and suggests they must have possessed special means of navigating the seas.

Normally in such ancient times, sailing relied on shorelines. But this far offshore area had nothing but the horizon in sight.

To navigate, they probably used celestial bodies, by observing the angles of the Sun and the positions of the stars, suggesting that the astronomical knowledge of the people in the area may have been ahead of their time.

In addition, the ship still holds a great treasure: the entire ship is full of amphorae, an ancient type of jar that ancient people often used to store many things, including goods during long-distance trading trips.

Dating back more than 3,300 years, these ancient jars are a huge treasure trove, not to mention the contents they contain that could yield valuable data on ancient trading activities.

The discovery was made during a survey of the seabed environment by a team from natural gas production company Energean, based in London, UK.

So far, only the upper layer of the ship has been studied. The research is quite complicated because the ship is located at a very deep place, scientists are forced to study it through robots.

Now archaeologists have discovered a second layer of artifacts underneath the first, suggesting that the ship's structures may be well preserved beneath the mud.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/israel-phat-hien-kho-bau-tau-ma-co-xua-nhat-dong-dia-trung-hai-196240627110044736.htm