Found the oldest ancient wreck in the Black Sea

The 23m-long ship, more than 2,400 years old, is found intact at the bottom of the Black Sea.

Archaeologists from the Black Sea Maritime Archaeological Project (BSMAP) have found the oldest, undisclosed wreck underneath the Black Sea, The Guardian reported on October 23.

The ship still has its mast, rudder and paddle.(SCREEN PHOTO OF THE GUARDIAN).

The wreck of 23m long, about 2km from the water surface, still has the mast, rudder and horizontal planks to sit and row. Experts said that the lack of oxygen at that depth helped preserve the ship intact.

This is said to be a merchant ship dating back to ancient Greece more than 2,400 years ago, the same type of ship that was painted on the Siren Vase porcelain on display in the British Museum.

The search team said it would leave the ship there and only take a small piece to date at the University of Southampton (UK). The results show that this is the oldest intact wreck that humans have found, according to BSMAP.

Jon Adams, a BSMAP maritime professor, thinks that an ancient ship found intact at that depth is something that has never been thought of.'This discovery will change our notion of ancient shipbuilding and shipping,' said Adams. Data on new discoveries by BSMAP will be announced at a conference in London this week.