A 3300-year-old ship with undamaged cargo was found at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea. Photo

Off the coast of Israel, at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea, a Canaanite ship, which is approximately 3300 years old, was found. Archaeologists emphasize that this is an extremely valuable discovery, as undamaged amphorae from the reign of the famous pharaoh Tutankhamun were found near the wreckage.

The Energean vessel, which is working to explore natural gas, accidentally stumbled upon the wreckage about 90 kilometers off the coast of Israel. The invaluable find was hidden at a depth of 1.8 kilometers, Arkeonews reports.

According to the Israel Antiquities Authority and Energean, the merchant ship, which was approximately 12 to 14 meters long, sank sometime between 1400 and 1300 BCE (14th and 13th century BCE). This is the era when the Egyptian Empire stretched from the territory of modern northern Syria to the Sudan and was ruled by the boy pharaoh Tutankhamun. At that time, international maritime trade flourished on these waters. So it is not surprising that the ship had many amphorae.

Jacob Sharvi, director of the maritime division of the Israel Antiquities Authority, suggested that the ship most likely sank due to a storm or pirate attack. After all, these were the most common types of shipwrecks for the Late Bronze Age.

"This is a truly sensational find. Since the Late Bronze Age, only two shipwrecks with cargo have been found in the Mediterranean Sea – the Cape Gelidonya boat and the Uluburun boat, which were found off the Turkish coast. However, both of these shipwrecks were found relatively close to shore and could be accessed with normal diving equipment," said Jacob Sharvey.

Based on these two previous finds, scholars have so far believed that trade in the Late Bronze Age was carried out by safe transportation from port to port, close to the coastline. However, the wreckage of the newly discovered vessel is changing researchers' perceptions of the abilities of ancient sailors. After all, this is the first boat found at such a great distance from land.

This discovery also reveals to scientists the navigational skills of ancient sailors. They probably used the position of the sun and stars in the sky to navigate.

Dr. Karnit Bahartan, Head of Environment at Energean, explained that the discovery came as a surprise. During one of their regular surveys using an advanced submersible robot, the team identified what looked like a pile of cans on the seabed. However, in cooperation with the Israel Antiquities Authority, they realized that this was an important archaeological find.

Director of the Israel Antiquities Authority Eli Escusido emphasized the importance of these finds and stressed that the found Canaanite containers will be exhibited at the Archaeological Campus. So everyone will be able to see the wreckage of the ancient ship with their own eyes before the official opening of the center in two years.

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