[ad_1]
Copyright of the image
MAP / EEF Expeditions in the Black Sea
The vessel was surveyed and digitized by two distant underwater vehicles
A Greek merchant ship dating back more than 2400 years was found lying off the Bulgarian coast.
The wreckage of 23 meters (75 feet), found in the Black Sea by an Anglo-Bulgarian team, is officially considered the oldest intact wreck in the world.
The researchers were stunned to find that the merchant ship closely resembled a vessel decorating ancient Greek wine vases.
The rudder, the rowing benches and even the contents of its hold remain intact.
"It's like another world," Helen Farr said of the expedition to the BBC.
"That's when the ROV [remote operated vehicle] go down into the water column and you see this ship appear in the light of the light so well preserved that one has the impression of going back in time. "
The reason why the merchant ship, which dates back to about 400 BC, has remained in such good condition for so long is that the water is anoxic or does not contain oxygen. Located more than 2,000 m below the surface, it is also out of reach for modern divers.
"It's preserved, it's safe," she added. "It does not deteriorate and hunters are unlikely to be attracted."
The ship was one of many spotting vessels between the Mediterranean and Greek colonies on the Black Sea coast.
Copyright of the image
Werner Forman / Getty Images
The Anglo-Bulgarian team believes that the wreck of the Black Sea dates back to the fourth century BCE, perhaps 100 years after the painting of the Siren vase
The team used two underwater robotic explorers to map a 3D image of the vessel and took a sample to date its age.
The style of the ship is similar to that described by the so-called Siren Painter on the Siren vase of the British Museum. Dating back to about 480 BC, the vase shows Ulysses attached to the mast as his ship crisscrossed three mythical marine nymphs whose air was supposed to lead the sailors to death.
At the moment, the ship's cargo remains unknown and the team says it needs additional funds to return to the site. "Normally we find amphorae and can guess where it comes from, but with that, it's still in the hold," Dr. Farr said.
Multimedia playback is not supported on your device
- How did old Greek music sound?
- The date of destruction of Pompeii could be wrong
"As archaeologists, we are interested in what this can tell us about technology, trade and movement in the region."
Over the last three years, the university expedition has discovered 67 shipwrecks, including Roman merchant ships and a Cossack trading fleet of the seventeenth century.
