Archaeologists Deem Black Sea Shipwreck Oldest in World

Maritime archaeologists from a Black Sea research expedition said on October 23 the 2,400-year-old skeleton of a Greek trading vessel they discovered in the eastern European body of water was the “world’s oldest” intact shipwreck.

In a press release, the Black Sea Maritime Archaeology Project said it spent three years searching over 2,000 square kilometers of sea bed in order to better understand the impact of prehistoric sea level change. Various members of the #BlackSeaMAP project said the wreck had rested mostly undisturbed.

The organization also said over 60 shipwrecks, varying in age from a 17th century Cossack raiding fleet, through Roman trading vessels complete with amphorae, to a complete ship from the Classical period, were found during its three-year search. Credit: Black Sea Maritime Archaeological Project via Storyful