When you buy through link on our site , we may earn an affiliate commission . Here ’s how it work .
shipwreck can discover bewitching detail about the ancient world . They can tell apart us what goodness people were trading , how ship were being built and can even provide entropy on the ritual that people were carry out .
In this countdown , Live Science claim a look at 32 shipwrecks from the ancient world . Some are lowly watercraft , like canoes , while others are large , seagoing ship .
Marsala Punic shipwreck
discover by a dredge ship near the city of Marsala , off the western coast of Sicily , the Marsala Punic wreck dates back around 2,300 years . The ship was built by the Carthaginians , a the great unwashed based in the city of Carthage in what is now Tunisia . They fought a serial of wars against the Roman democracy , and eventually , Carthage was destroyed by the Romans . The ship was about 115 foot ( 35 meters ) long and was well - preserved . Only a small turn of artifacts , let in a spearhead , an anchor and barretter stone , were found with the shipwreck .
Rhine Roman troop transporter
The Roman Empire control a vast area that stretch from northerly England to Syria . Its most authoritative frontier stretched across cardinal Europe , including component of Germany . Over the years , a number of small ship used for scout troop transport have been discovered in the region . The example seen here dates to the fourth one C A.D. and is made of oak tree . This vessel , and other transport that have been found , are on display at the Museum of Ancient Seafaring in Mainz , Germany .
Nemi ships
situate in Lake Nemi , the Nemi ships consist of two vas that were built on order of the Roman Saturnia pavonia Caligula ( sovereignty circa A.D. 37 to 41)John McManamon , prof emeritus of archaeology at Loyola University Chicago , write in his volume " From Caligula to the Nazis : The Nemi Ships in Diana ’s Sanctuary " ( Texas A & M University Press , 2023 ) . Why the massive ships were created is a mystery , note McManamon . There is a temple to Diana , goddess of wild animals , on the lake but whether that has anything to do with the vessel is uncertain . The remains of the ship were destroyed during World War II .
Peristera shipwreck
The Peristera wreck date back around 2,400 years and is located near Peristera island in the Aegean Sea . It hold back about 4,000 amphora weighing between 62 pounds ( 28 kilogram ) and 82 pounds ( 37 kg ) each , researcherFredrik Søreidewrote in his book " Ships from the Depths : Deepwater archeology " ( Texas A&M University Press , 2011 ) . It ’s located at a depth of about 66 feet ( 20 m ) beneath the sea . With its immense cargo , the wreck demonstrates the bluff weight of goods that ships of the time were capable of carrying .
Pesse Canoe
The Pesse Canoe was discovered in 1955 near the village of Pesse , in the Netherlands , during the construction of a motorway . Dating back about 10,000 years , it is the old surviving gravy boat in the world , concord to theDrents Museum . It is 10 feet ( 3 m ) long and 17 inches ( 44 centimeters ) astray and was excavate out with an axe from a pine tree log , the museum notes . To prove that it was used as a boat , a replica was make and a person successfully paddled in it .
Dokos shipwreck
get wind in 1975 near the island of Dokos in the Aegean Sea , the Dokos wreck contains a variety of pottery date back around 4,500 years . The ceramics found include cups , jars , amphoras , jugs and bowls , archaeologistShelley Wachsmannwrote in his book " Seagoing Ships and Seamanship in the Bronze Age Levant " ( Texas A&M University Press , 1998 ) . No lumber remains of the ship have been found , possibly because the ship has completely degraded out .
Antikythera
The Antikythera shipwreck , named after the island of Antikythera in the Aegean Sea , date back about 2,000 years . Found in 1901 , it comprise a variety show of artifacts , the most famous being theAntikythera mechanism , a shoebox - shaped machine that is sometimes call the macrocosm ’s oldest computer . The twist could specify the question of the Sunday , lunar month and five of the planets and could even order when gymnastic competitions , such as the Olympics , were set to take place . The remains of statues , including at least onedepiction of Hercules , have also been name in the shipwreck .
Sea of Galilee boat
In 1986 , the remains of a boat that date back around 2,000 years , around the meter of Jesus , was reveal on the northwest coast of the Sea of Galilee , according to theYigal Allon Centre . It ’s been radiocarbon dated between 100 B.C. and A.D. 100 . The sauceboat undergo preservation and is now display at the centre . The gospel state that Jesus and his disciples used boat to travel the Sea of Galilee , and this watercraft gives an estimation of what they may have take care like .
3,000-year-old Native American canoe
In 2022 a 3,000 - class - old dugout canoe was discover in Lake Mendota in Madison , Wisconsin . It ’s about 14.5 foot ( 4.4 m ) long and was carved from a single piece of a snowy oak Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , the Wisconsin Historical Society allege in astatement . It was found just one year after a 1,200 - yr - old canoe was discovered in the same lake , the historical companionship noted . It ’s potential that there is a now - deluge Native American village near where the canoe were found .
Chiessi shipwreck
Dating back around 2,000 years , the Chiessi shipwreck was witness off the coast of Chiessi , a village on the west coast of the island of Elba in Italy . The ship stop 5,000 to 7,000 amphorae — two - handled jars — which appear to have been manufacture in Spain , wroteCandace Rice , an assistant prof of archeology and classics at Brown University in a paper published 2016 in theJournal of Roman Archaeology . Much of the payload lie of product made from salted Pisces the Fishes , pen Rice , with a belittled number of amphora carrying olive crude .
Lead ingots shipwreck
About 2,000 age ago , a Roman ship carry a cargo that include monumental lead ingots slump in the Mediterranean . The heaviest ingot weighs 150 pound ( 68 kilogram ) , a number adequate to about 205 Roman dog pound , per theUniversity of Alicante . Markings indicate that the orotund ingot belonged to the papistical emperor , possiblyNero . Additionally , about 3,000 jarful of Pisces the Fishes sauce were load onto the vas . The watercraft was about 105 feet ( 32 m ) long and was likely travel from Cadiz to Rome at the time it sank .
Mahdia shipwreck
A ship went down off the slide of Tunisia around 2,100 yr ago and was discovered by fishermen from the village of Mahdia in 1907 , accord to theNational Gallery of Art . It contained a variety of artifact , let in bronze and marble carving , 22 bronze beds , at least 60 marble pillar and a highly - ornament candelabrum , the museum note . One peculiarly interesting artefact is a stela ( a stone with a cutting engraved on it ) render Dionysus , a Hellenic god tie in with wine - making and revelry .
Ses Fontanelles
The Ses Fontanelles ship sank around 1,700 twelvemonth ago near the Spanish island of Mallorca in the Mediterranean . It was carry about 300 seal jounce , many fill with fish saucemade from anchovy . Some of the jars contained oil from plant life and may have held wine , olive oil or olives mixed with vinegar . Some of the jolt have a Christian monogram on them , suggesting that they were being sold by a Christian church confidence . The wreck see to around the sentence of Constantine , a Roman emperor who legitimate Christianity and eventually converted to it .
Uluburun shipwreck
The Uluburun shipwreck was happen in 1982 by Turkish sponge divers near the town of Kaş , off the southern coast of Turkey . date back around 3,300 long time , it hold in a large amount of copper and tin ingot . The proportion of atomic number 29 to tin in the wreck was 10:1 , which is nigh to the ratio needed to make bronze . Other goods include carve ivory container , gold jewelry and semi - treasured stones , such as cornelian and agate , per theInstitute of Nautical Archaeology . weapon system and melodious legal instrument , such as lutes , were also divulge .
Kyrenia shipwreck
disclose in 1965 off the northern coast of Cyprus , near the township of Kyrenia , the Kyrenia wreck go steady back around 2,300 years . The ship carried a cargo of up to 500 amphoras and 27 stones that were used as ballast resistor , theInstitute of Nautical Archaeologynotes . A reconstruction of the Isaac Hull suggest that the ship was about 46 foot ( 14 1000 ) in distance . Fragments of confidential information were also find , and it appears that the ship ’s Kingston-upon Hull was covered with lead to protect it against marine life , the institute note .
Bajo de la Campana Phoenician shipwreck
This ship slide down around 2,700 years ago near Bajo de la Campana off the southeast seacoast of Spain . The ship was used by the Phoenicians , a people who flourished in the Mediterranean from roughly 1500 to 300 B.C. The ship ’s shipment included 10 elephant tusk , 28 low cannister ingots and two copper ingots , per theInstitute of Nautical Archaeology . Galena ( jumper lead ore ) nugget , pine retinal cone and even wooden comb were get in the remains of the wreck .
Mazarron 2 shipwreck
Found in 1995 off the southeast coast of Spain , near the township of Mazarron , the Mazarron 2 shipwreck date back around 2,700 years . The ship ’s load includes wind metal bar , an amphora and a hand grinder , according toSpain ’s Ministry of Culture . An anchor made of lead and wood was key out and is one of the earliest known examples of a constructed anchor , the ministry say .
Ma’agan Michael ship
The Ma’agan Michael ship was launch near Kibbutz Ma’agan Michael in Israel . date stamp back around 2,400 years , its shipment include a set of wooden carpenter dick , 12 tons of stone and ceramic vessel , per theHecht Museum . The ship is about 44 feet ( 13 m ) in distance and 13 feet ( 4 m ) in width and is well - preserved , according to the museum . It appears that the ship was beach for some reason , and the crew did n’t riposte to it .
Hjortspring boat
Dating back around 2,300 age , the Hjortspring boat was found in the bog of Hjortspring Mose in Denmark and is northerly Europe ’s oldest board vessel , agree to theNational Museum of Denmark . The gravy holder is almost 66 ft ( 20 m ) , count 1,168 lbs ( 530 kilo ) and could acquit 24 citizenry with weapons and equipment , the museum notes . The boat ’s planks are made of lime woodwind , it has oars made of maple and it has curving extensions at each end .
Kumluca shipwreck
Dating back around 3,500 yr , the Kumluca wreck is locate near the townsfolk of Kumluca , off the southern coast of Turkey . Research conducted in 2019 and 2022 found that the shipwreck contains about 100 metallic element ingots , many of which are encrust together on the bottom of the sea , per theInstitute of Nautical Archaeology . Two disk - shape balance weights made of lead were also found , along with ceramic fragments and small stones used as ballast , the institute notes .
Roman shipwreck off Caesarea
Dating back around 1,700 yr , a romish ship found off the coast of Caesarea in Israel contains a Brobdingnagian number of artefact . These include hundreds of Roman coin made of atomic number 47 and bronze as well as Romanist statue and figurines , according to theArmstrong Institute of Biblical Archaeology . The wreck was found at a depth of just 13 feet ( 4 m ) and may have wrecked during a violent storm , the institute notes . Another chivalric shipwreck dating back around 600 years is settle nearby .
Tang shipwreck
The Tang wreck ( also get laid as the Belitung wreck ) is a 9th hundred A.D. Arab dhow that sank near Belitung island in Indonesia , per theUNESCO Silk Roads Programme . It was found by local fisherman in 1998 and is one of the honest-to-god shipwrecks in the region . The wreck contains 60,000 artefact that escort toChina ’s Tang dynasty ( A.D. 618 to 907 ) . Most of the artefact consist of a specific type of ceramic known as " Changsha ware . "
Nanhai No. 1 shipwreck
The Nanhai No . 1 wreck , as it is now called , is about 98 feet ( 30 m ) long and 33 feet ( 10 m ) astray , per theUNESCO Silk Roads Programme . It may have been ramp up during the Southern Song dynasty ( A.D. 1127 to 1279 ) . About 60,000 artifacts were found inside , including porcelain vessel , iron ware , Cu coins and copper rings , UNESCO notes . It was found about 82 feet ( 25 m ) beneath the surface in 1987 but was not excavated until 2007 .
Quanzhou ship
Discovered in 1973 , the Quanzhou ship ( also called the Quanzhou wreck ) dates to the Song Dynasty ( circa A.D. 960 to 1279 ) , possibly to its last years before the dynasty was taken over by the Mongols . It was found near the city of Quanzhou in the Taiwan Strait . More than 500 coin , the up-to-the-minute date to the 13th century A.D. , were found inside it . The cadaver of spices , such as pepper , were also found in its cadaver .
Godawaya shipwreck
retrieve by fishermen in 2003 near the settlement of Godawaya ( also spelled Godavaya ) , off the south coast of Sri Lanka , the Godawaya wreck date stamp back around 2,100 age . Located about 108 feet ( 33 m ) beneath the sea , it might be the remains of a popish ship , per theInstitute of Nautical Archaeology . The clay admit iron ingots , ceramic bowls and glass . It is likely the oldest make out shipwreck in the Indian Ocean .
Nydam boat
describe in a bog at the site of Nydam Mose near the eastern sea-coast of Denmark , the Nydam sauceboat was discovered in 1863 and dates back around 1,600 twelvemonth . It ’s one of the onetime clinker brick - build up boats in northerly Europe . Clinker building involves having planks of the boat overlapping each other to help reenforce and tone up the Cordell Hull . The boat may not have been accidently lose but rather may have been by choice sunk in the bog as part of a ritual .
Khufu ship
While calling this a " shipwreck " is a bit of a reach , the Khufu ship is one of the most famous surviving ship from the ancient world . It was buried beside theGreat Pyramid , which was constructed on lodge of the pharaoh Khufu ( reign circa 2551 to 2528 B.C. ) . The boat is 141 feet ( 43 1000 ) long and was dismantled before being rank in a pit beside the Great Pyramid , according to theInstitute of Nautical Archaeology . The ship ’s builders used a mortice and tenon system to fasten the plank , the institute notes .
Arles Rhône 3
Discovered near the Rhone River in France in 2004 , the " Arles Rhône 3 " ship , as it is now called , is a barge that date back around 2,000 long time . It is 102 ft ( 31 m ) long and about 10 ft ( 3 m ) widely , according to theFrench Ministry of Culture . The hoy was intended for inland pilotage on river and was carrying a freight of limestone blocking when it pass . After it lapse , it was keep well - preserve by a level of mud that rapidly accumulate over it , the ministry said .
Zwammerdam ships
The Zwammerdam ships ( also known as the Zwammerdam boat ) consist of three Romanic canoes and three Roman barges . They were attain near the village of Zwammerdam in the Netherlands in the seventies , perLeiden University . The six watercraft date between A.D. 80 and 200 , a meter when the Netherlands was on the northern frontier of the Roman Empire . The vessels were well - preserved when they were discovered but had to be taken apart for be remove . In 2016 , a project begin that aim to put the vas back together .
Dover Bronze Age Boat
Dating back around 3,500 class , the Dover Bronze Age Boat was discovered in 1992 by grammatical construction worker building a route link . The boat is the " reality ’s oldest known seagoing boat , " theDover Museumstates . During digging , archeologist had to cut the come through pieces of the gravy boat up to remove it and were able to recover 31.2 feet ( 9.5 m ) of the sauceboat . It ’s uncertain how large the boat was originally , but it was probably longer than 31 feet , the museum notes .
Brigg logboat
Discovered in 1886 by worker building a gasometer ( also bonk as a gasholder ) near the Ithiel Town of Brigg on the River Ancholme in Lincolnshire , England , the Brigg logboat dates back around 2,900 age . It is 48.6 feet ( 14.8 m ) long and 4.6 feet ( 1.4 m ) wide and was carved from a single oak logarithm , per theHull Museums Collection . A small wooden shelf was found near the obeisance of the boat and may have been used by the somebody in charge of steer the vessel . Much of the boat was destruct during an melody foray in June 1943 .
Gozo shipwreck
key out in 2007 during an offshore outback sensing survey , the Gozo wreck is located near the island of Gozo in Malta . It ’s a Phoenician shipwreck dating back to the 7th century B.C. , per thePhoenician Shipwreck Project . The artifacts base in spite of appearance include stone querns , used to crunch food , and urns that were intended to carry the cremate stiff of the dead . The discovery of the urns was surprising , as Phoenician urns are usually found within interment grounds or other funerary contexts , and it ’s unusual to find out examples in a wreck .
