Over 3,000-year-old cargo ship uncovered off Israel's coast

NEW DELHI: A remarkably well-preserved shipwreck dating back more than 3,000 years has been discovered off the northern coast of Israel, according to the country's antiquities authority.
The wreck, along with its intact cargo, was found at a depth of over a mile on the Mediterranean Sea bed by Energean, a London-listed energy company operating in the region.
The ship's cargo consisted of hundreds of amphorae, which are double-handled jugs used for storing goods such as wine or olive oil during the Bronze Age. Jacob Sharvit, head of the Israel Antiquities Authority's marine unit, said, "The ship seems to have sunk in crisis, either due to a storm or to an attempted piracy attack -– a well-known occurrence in the Late Bronze Age."
The wreck, estimated to date back to the 14th or 13th century BC, was discovered last year approximately 90 kilometres (56 miles) from the northern Israeli coast. This period coincides with the beginning of a significant increase in maritime trade during the Bronze Age.
Karnit Bahartan, Energean's environment lead, described the discovery of the large pile of jugs on the sea floor as a sensational find, far exceeding their expectations. Sharvit noted that the wreck's location, far out at sea, indicates that ancient mariners were capable of navigating without relying on a line of sight to the coast, likely using the positions of stars and the sun for guidance.
The Israel Antiquities Authority plans to present some of the extracted storage vessels to the public in the near future.