Spanish archeologists have recovered a largely intact shipwreck dating back nearly 2,600 years. The 27-foot (8 m) long trading vessel was carrying lead ingots to an unknown destination when it sank off the coast of Mazarrón, Spain. It remained hidden in the sand just six feet (1.8 m) below the ocean surface until divers finally found it in 1994.
The shipwreck was particularly interesting to researchers because it is one of only a few well-preserved vessels from the Phoenician era. The Phoenicians lived along the eastern Mediterranean coast from the 16th to the 4th century BCE. These skilled boatbuilders traveled widely, trading goods like glass, timber, and metals.
Officials named the precious artifact Mazarrón II and covered it with a metal cage to protect it from damage. But in 2019, divers found that the metal box was sinking. Worried it might crush the wreck, they urged authorities to take action.
In the summer of 2023, archeologists began planning the extraction of the vessel from the seafloor. They spent over 560 hours underwater creating detailed drawings of its structure. These drawings aimed to guide craftsmen in restoring the ship once it was brought to the surface.
Between September and November 2024, 14 divers carefully removed the wreck in 22 sections. The pieces were sent to the Museum of Underwater Archeology in southern Spain. To preserve the ship, experts will first remove the salt from each fragment. They will then apply resins to areas where the wood has rotted. Finally, the pieces will be freeze-dried to remove water from the wood. The ship will then be reassembled. The restoration is expected to take about four years. Upon completion, the Mazarrón II will be showcased at a local museum. It will offer researchers invaluable insights into Phoenician shipbuilding techniques.
“It will tell us what types of wood were used to build the boat, where it was built, what navigation was like at the time, the degradation processes of the wood, the contamination that may have occurred in shallow waters,” said Agustín Díez, a historian at the University of Valencia.
A second Phoenician ship, the Mazarrón I, was discovered in the same area in 1993. It was less intact, but Spanish officials extracted and restored it in 1995. The ship is now on display in a museum in Cartagena, Spain. The exact cause of the sinkings remains unknown. But experts believe the same powerful storm may have brought down both ships.
Resources: Wikipedia.org, Smithsonianmag.com, CNN.com
