Discovered a 1,700-year-old ghost ship with strange cargo still intact

Despite being swallowed into the Mediterranean since the 4th century, the objects inside the Roman ghost ship are still strangely intact .

According to Heritage Daily, a multi-year excavation off the coast of Mallorca island in the Balearic archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea has revealed a ghost ship wreck loaded with precious antiques .

In particular, the research team led by Dr. Miguel Ángel Cau-Ontiveros from the University of Barcelona (Spain) has identified a completely new type of amphora , never seen anywhere in the world.

The ceramic vases in the ghost ship have remained intact for 17 centuries - (Photo: Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences).

Amphora or amphorae is a type of small, tall, gourd-shaped ancient ceramic vase with two handles, used in many ancient civilizations.

They are interesting archaeological artifacts - not only are they valuable antiquities, but they also reveal a lot of information about their owners.

According to the article published in the scientific journal Archaeological and Anthropological Science, the amphoras found in the vault are divided into 4 groups, of which 3 were previously known.

Diagram of the ghost ship, with yellow ceramic vases representing a new type of amphora - (Photo: Archaeological and Anthropological Science).

The most popular is the Almagro 51c , which, according to the ancient label "tituli picti" used by the Romans, contained anchovy sauce.

These are very beneficial to the archaeologist because they contain information about the contents, origin, destination, and even the owner.

Also on the ghost ship are flat-bottomed fruit-filled amphora , another type called Keay XIX , and a completely new form of amphora called Ses Fontanelles.

This new design is significantly larger and heavier than the others. It is used to transport large quantities of vegetable oil.

All analyzed data shows that an owner named Alunnius et Ausonius owned this ghost ship and possibly a fleet of merchant ships, the main cargo of which was a fish sauce similar to fish sauce. , in addition to cooking oil and fruit.

The discovery of a completely new type of ceramic promises to provide more interesting details, possibly leading archaeologists to an unknown ancient ceramic "craft village" where the style of making distinct amphora effects.

In addition, the style of the artifact can also help understand more about where the ship came from, landed or passed through, further clarifying ancient trade routes.

A more special thing is that despite being submerged in the sea and only fragilely protected by grape leaves, almost all of the cargo in the ghost ship remained intact after centuries.

Some seas are particularly suitable for preserving ancient ghost ship structures, including some parts of the Mediterranean. Those are "promised lands" for other underwater archeology.