The shipwreck changes what we know about how far Bronze Age sailors were able to go. Photo: Israel Antiquities Authority//Facebook
The wreck of a Bronze Age vessel has been discovered deep beneath the surface of the Mediterranean Sea, shaking up our theories of how far ancient sailors ventured from land.
“The academic assumption until now was that trade in that time was executed by safely flitting from port to port, hugging the coastline within eye contact,” explained Jacob Sharvit, Head of the Israel Antiquities Authority Marine Unit, in a statement to IFLScience. “The discovery of this boat now changes our entire understanding of ancient mariner abilities: It is the very first to be found at such a great distance with no line of sight to any landmass.”
The wreckage of the ship, which likely sank sometime around 3,300 years ago, was found at around 6,000 feet deep, some 50 miles from Israel’s northern coastline.
The Bronze Age, which lasted from 3300 to 1200 BC, was characterized, as the name implies, by the use of bronze. There was a bit of writing here and there, and it was the era between the Stone and Iron Ages.
The discovery gives insight into how much ancient mariners knew about moving around the ocean. “To navigate they probably used the celestial bodies, by taking sightings and angles of the Sun and star positions,”Sharvit said.
Interestingly, the debris wasn’t found by anyone looking for ancient ships. Instead, a natural gas company doing an exploratory mission spotted it. After it was discovered, the entire site was thoroughly mapped. The boat, which measured between 39 feet, was carrying goods, likely for trade.
“The vessel type identified in the cargo was designed as the most efficient means of transporting relatively cheap and mass-produced products such as oil, wine, and other agricultural products such as fruit,” explained Sharvit.
Although it’s tough to know exactly what the history of the vessel is, Sharvit believes that it’s more than likely that the ship sank “in crisis, either due to a storm or an attempted piracy attack.”
For something so old, it’s remarkably preserved. Thanks to the depth at which it was found in its final resting place, it was relatively untouched by currents and waves.
“There is tremendous potential here for research,” said Sharvit. “The ship is preserved at such a great depth that time has frozen since the moment of disaster.”
