The oldest shipwreck in the world for over 2400 years, discovered at the bottom of the Black Sea

BERLIN – Over the past 600 years, the Black Sea in Europe has been one of the most affected maritime areas of the world by war and nationalism. Torn between Turkey, Russia, Ukraine and other countries, the extent of inland water was de facto cut off from international trade after the occupation of Constantinople by the Turks Ottomans in 1453. It was a key battleground during the Second World War and was again challenged with Ukraine and Russia confronting each other in recent years

But it was a time when trade flourished in the Black Sea. And on Tuesday, European researchers revealed staggering details over a period during which Greek ships crossed the Bosphorus, loaded with merchandise to trade, threatened by storms and natural disasters.

One of these ships has now been found almost completely intact at the bottom of the Black Sea at a depth of 2 km below the surface of the water, where oxygen levels are so low that marine life is virtually non-existent . While animals and bacteria would typically decompose the remains of the wooden wreckage in a few centuries, the 15-meter Greek wreckage remained intact for more than 2400 years, project researchers said Tuesday. of maritime archeology of the Black Sea.

One of the best underwater laboratories in the world, "writes the team on its website

The Greek merchant ship is the oldest of the dozens of shipwrecks discovered during this project three years, which according to the team is the largest effort of its kind, off Bulgaria in Eastern Europe, and its findings are documented in a two-hour Also to be published Tuesday.

Using scuba diving robots and sonar ships, the researchers swept the bottom of the Black Sea mainly looking for possible ancient ruins Colonies now submerged to study the effects of melting glaciers on sea level. But while they were mapping more than 770 square miles of seabed, more than five dozen historic ships – almost all of them surprisingly well preserved – appeared before the cameras of their remotely operated submarine vehicles. The team believes that some of their discoveries have already been made by the Romans and that other ships date back to the 17th century.

"More than 60 shipwrecks, more or less old, of a fleet of Cossack raids of the seventeenth century, crossed by Roman merchant ships completed by amphorae to a complete ship of the clbadical period were found during of the 3-year period, "writes the team in a statement.

Their attention was concentrated on the ancient Greek ship, of which only a small part was withdrawn. the original location to confirm the age of wood radiocarbon. It is not planned to recover the entire wooden structure, partly for fear of seeing it break. The researchers also did not reveal its exact location.

The discovery could nevertheless provide remarkable information on a time when few remnants of wood are still intact.

"This will change our understanding of shipbuilding and navigation in the former Jon Adams, member of the research project team.