Ancient Shipwreck with 3,300-Year-Old Cargo Discovered off Israel

A 3,300-year-old shipwreck has been discovered in the Mediterranean Sea, approximately 90 kilometers off the coast of northern Israel. The find, made during a routine seafloor survey by Energean, a natural gas exploration and production company, represents the first and oldest shipwreck identified in the Eastern Mediterranean deep sea. The ship was located at a depth of 1.8 kilometers and contained hundreds of intact Canaanite storage vessels from the Late Bronze Age.

The discovery provides new insights into the navigational capabilities of ancient mariners, suggesting they used advanced techniques such as celestial navigation to traverse open waters without a line of sight to land. The cargo, consisting primarily of amphorae designed for transporting mass-produced goods like oil, wine, and fruits, indicates significant commercial ties between the ship's origin and ancient Near Eastern lands. The Israel Antiquities Authority believes the ship likely sank due to a storm or piracy, common risks of the era. Two amphorae were carefully recovered for display at the National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel in Jerusalem, with the remaining artifacts left undisturbed on the seafloor.