A rare discovery: the world's oldest ship discovered in the deep sea
A ship's cargo from more than 3,300 years ago, containing hundreds of intact jars, was discovered at a depth of about 1.8 km at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea at a distance of about 90 km from the coast.
The discovery shows for the first time the impressive navigation abilities of the ancient civilizations - that made it possible to cross the sea without any eye contact with the shore.
The ship's cargo was discovered during an environmental survey of the natural gas production company Energian on the seabed, and was investigated by the Antiquities Authority. Following the discovery, Energian led a unique operation to extract samples of jars from the rare ship's cargo.
The jars will be displayed to the public this summer at the National Archaeological Museum of Israel For Jay and Ginny Schottenstein, which will open for tours for a limited time.
World discovery: a ship's cargo from more than 3,300 years ago (13-14 centuries BC), containing hundreds of complete jars, was discovered at a depth of about 1.8 km (!), at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea.
The ship was discovered during a routine environmental survey carried out by the natural gas production company Energian, which operates the "Shark, "Tanin" and "Katlan" gas reservoirs in Israel, identified by the Antiquities Authority as a large cargo of Canaanite storage jars, dating from the Bronze Age. This is the oldest ship in the world discovered in the deep sea.
According to Yaakov Sharvit, director of the Maritime Archeology Unit at the Antiquities Authority, "It seems that the ship was wrecked as a result of a distress encountered in a sea storm, or perhaps in the event of an encounter with pirates - a phenomenon known from the Bronze Age. This is the first and oldest shipwreck discovered to date in the deep sea in the eastern Mediterranean, At a distance of about 90 km from the coast line.
This is a world-class sensation: the discovery shows the impressive navigational abilities of the ancients - the kind that made it possible to cross the Mediterranean Sea without any eye contact with the shore - since from this distance you can only see the horizon line around.
Most likely, the navigation was done using the heavenly bodies - with the help of calculating the angles of the sun and the stars.
"As part of our ongoing activity for the discovery and production of natural gas in the deep sea, we conduct surveys to examine various environmental parameters, using an advanced underwater robot, which surveys the seabed," says Dr. Karnit Bachartan, head of the environment team at Energian.
"In one of the surveys conducted about a year ago, we identified an unusual sight of what seemed to be a large cluster of urns resting on the surface of the sea's bottom. We are in regular contact with the Antiquities Authority, and when we sent them the photos it turned out to be a sensational discovery, more than any of us could have imagined."
The Antiquities Authority decided to survey the site aboard the ship "Energy Star", which is equipped with technological means to carry out work at these depths. The company planned a complex and unique work procedure that was managed by experts on its behalf for deep sea activity, and even built the tools that would enable the collection of the findings in their entirety with minimal risk to the entire complex.
