Oldest Black Sea Shipwreck Found Off the Coast of Bulgaria

Society | January 16, 2003, Thursday // 00:00

Explorer Bob Ballard announced in the United States the discovery of the oldest shipwreck ever found in the Black Sea off the coast of present-day Bulgaria, CNN reported. A team headed by Ballard, working with the Bulgarian government, discovered the wreck in August. "This discovery provides historians with the first look at an actual wreck from a key era of trade in the Black Sea known previously only through written records," said Ballard, president of the Institute of Exploration at Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut and a National Geographic explorer-in-residence. By analysing the contents of one of the amphorae, scientists were able to pin down the approximate time frame in which the vessel sank. Archaeologist Fred Hiebert of the University of Pennsylvania analysed one of the amphorae and said he thought the ship was headed for the Mediterranean, where dried fish steaks -- called tarichos in ancient Greece -- were a common food for the masses. "It is the oldest ship found in the Black Sea, but there is evidence of earlier sailing there. It's only time until an older shipwreck is found," Hiebert said.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!

MORE - Read TODAY in the For the Record section

Society » Be a reporter: Write and send your article

Advertisement
Advertisement
Bulgaria news Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency - www.sofianewsagency.com) is unique with being a real time news provider in English that informs its readers about the latest Bulgarian news. The editorial staff also publishes a daily online newspaper "Sofia Morning News." Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency - www.sofianewsagency.com) and Sofia Morning News publish the latest economic, political and cultural news that take place in Bulgaria. Foreign media analysis on Bulgaria and World News in Brief are also part of the web site and the online newspaper. News Bulgaria