A team of maritime archaeologists, scientists and surveyors has discovered what it believes to be the world’s oldest intact shipwreck — a Greek trading vessel whose design had previously been seen only on ancient pottery.
The Black Sea Maritime Archaeology project says it found the wreck off the Bulgarian coast at a depth of two kilometres in oxygen-free conditions that preserved its components. The group says the vessel has been carbon dated to more than 2,400 years ago.
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The project has spent three years surveying the area using technology previously available largely to oil companies. It discovered some 60 shipwrecks, including a 17th-century Cossack raiding fleet and Roman trading vessels carrying amphorae.
A documentary on the project will open Tuesday at the British Museum.