1000-year-old wreck found in the waters of the Black Sea! - video

A very interesting and extremely valuable discovery was made in Crimea by members of the Russian diving club from Rostov-on-Don. The team, known for many interesting archaeological discoveries, located at a depth of 82 metres a large shipwreck from ancient times. It is believed that the vessel is at least 1000 years old!

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The finding was reported on 26 May by the Russian TV channel Tv Zvezda. Although for the divers from Rostov archaeological finds are not the first, their latest discovery in the waters surrounding the Crimea near Sevastopol can be called the biggest and most spectacular. It is already spoken of as one of the three most important archaeological finds in the waters of the Black Sea in the last 100 years!

It cannot be otherwise. After all, we are talking about the wreck of a vessel measuring 125m, which sank in unexplained circumstances and has been lying on the bottom of the Black Sea since Byzantine times!

The head of the Rostov diving club – Roman Dunayev – has already asked the Ministry of Defence and the Russian Geographical Society for help in organising a joint expedition to examine the vessel and protect the monuments and cultural property on the wreck.

According to preliminary findings, the 125-metre-long ship was carrying a cargo of oils and wines. This is evidenced by hundreds of amphorae found on the bottom, many of which are preserved in excellent condition. Not only have they survived the test of time in one piece, but they are still sealed thanks to a wax seal. The amphorae are 75cm high and about 50cm in diameter. This could be an extremely valuable find, revealing further pages in the history of the region.

Viktor Lebedinskiy – Russian underwater archaeologist put forward the hypothesis that the vessel was most likely heading from Constantinople to the Crimean Peninsula. At the end of the ancient period and the beginning of the Middle Ages, Sevastopol was part of the Byzantine Empire and maintained constant maritime contact with the capital and many ports on the Mediterranean.

The expedition, which is being prepared jointly, is to focus in its first stages on mapping and sketching the wreck and its surroundings, making photographic and video documentation and preparing 3D images. Only after these works have been completed will the excavation of the found artefacts begin.

The next questions researchers will want to tackle are whether there is only one wreck on the bottom? When exactly did the found vessel sink? And the one that seems to be fundamental – as a result of what events?

The huge expedition of the combined forces of divers from Rostov, the Black Sea Fleet and the Russian Geographical Society will begin soon, on 10 June 2015. As the researchers themselves assume, it may even take the next few years to complete all the planned work.

The Black Sea holds many secrets and that is no secret. More and more people and institutions are looking to this unique body of water for interesting discoveries. A joint project has already been announced by the underwater archaeology units of the Bulgarian Ministry of Culture and the University of Southampton.

It is worth mentioning that Polish archaeologists have also contributed to the study of this beautiful and unusual region. For a couple of years, within the framework of the “Crimea Project”, led by Magdalena Nowakowska from the University of Warsaw, our archaeologists and recent students of underwater archaeology were able to investigate the history and secrets of Crimea, hidden both under water and on land. For many it was the adventure of a lifetime, for others just the beginning of a long and arduous journey as an archaeologist.

Source: archaeologyinbulgaria.com, themoscowtimes.com