A ship from the Bronze Age has been discovered 90 kilometers off the northern coast of Israel, at a depth of 1.8 kilometers — the farthest ever found from shore. This 3,300-year-old vessel is the earliest evidence that ancient Mediterranean sailors navigated using celestial bodies.
Energean, conducting surveys for the Karish and Tanin gas fields, uncovered the ship and its cargo of hundreds of well-preserved Bronze Age Canaanite jars. The Antiquities Authority was promptly notified.
Head of maritime archaeology, Yaakov Sharvit, believes the ship likely sank in a storm but acknowledges the threat of pirates, common during that era. He calls it the oldest sunken ship in the Eastern Mediterranean, highlighting its global significance in demonstrating ancient navigation skills using the sun and stars.
Energean's Environmental Department head, Dr. Karnit Bahartan, emphasized that their underwater robot discovered the jars during geological surveys and immediately communicated the find with management, underscoring its sensational nature.
