Over 3000-Year-Old Shipwreck With Intact Cargo Discovered Off Israel

The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) has made a groundbreaking discovery – the oldest ship ever found in the deep seas, dating back 3,300 years.

Energean, a natural gas firm, found the ship’s cargo 90 kilometers off Israel’s northern coast during a routine inspection at a depth of 1.8 kilometers in the Mediterranean Sea.

The ship, built between the 14th and 13th centuries BCE, carried hundreds of intact amphorae identified as Late Bronze Age Canaanite storage vessels.

This discovery proves that ancient mariners navigated the Mediterranean using celestial bodies, without needing a direct line of sight to the coast.

IAA Marine Unit suggests the ship likely sank due to a storm or attempted piracy, common dangers in the Late Bronze Age.

Energean partnered with IAA experts, using an advanced underwater robot and a specially developed tool to extract artifacts with minimal damage.

The ship’s cargo indicates strong commercial connections between its country of origin and the ancient Near Eastern Islands along the Mediterranean coast.