The ship was discovered over 1.3 miles under water on the seabed where the water is oxygen free, around 50 miles off the coast of Bulgaria
THE oldest ever intact shipwreck dating back 2,400 years has been discovered at the bottom of the Black Sea.
The ancient Greek trading ship was found whole, bow to stern, with even its mast, rudders and rowing benches almost perfectly preserved.
The ship looks almost identical to a vessel shown on a vase in the British Museum depicting Greek hero Odysseus' voyage home from the Trojan war.
Scientists at the Black Sea Maritime Archaeology Project determined the 75 foot vessel was consigned to Davy Jones’ Locker more than 2,400 years ago.
It was found in what has been described as a “shipwreck graveyard” where over 60 other sunken ships have been discovered.
The ship was found in 2017 by a remote controlled submarine piloted by Brit scientists but has just been confirmed as the “oldest intact shipwreck”.
It has the design of an Ancient Greek trading vessel design previously only seen on the side of ancient Greek pottery such as the “Siren Vase” in the British Museum.
The ship is over 1.3 miles deep on the bed of the Black Sea where the water is oxygen free, around 50 miles off the coast of Bulgaria.
This “anoxic” water can preserve organic material for millennia and a small piece of the vessel has been carbon dated to 400BC.
It revealed the accuracy of the painter of the Siren Vase who painted an almost identical vessel onto the pottery.
Jon Adams, professor of archaeology at the University of Southampton and chief scientist of the team that found the wreck, told : “Nobody has ever known how accurate the representation on the Siren Vase was and whether the artist was making it up or drawing what he saw.
“Now we see archaeological evidence showing a ship very close in detail, even down to the shape of the rudder blade.
“The artist must have been familiar with ships.”
Prior to this discovery ancient ships had only been found in fragments with the oldest more than 3,000 years old.
The team from the Black Sea Maritime Archaeological Project said the find also revealed how far from the shore ancient Greek traders could travel.
Archaeologist believes it probably held 15-25 men at the time whose remains may be hidden in the surrounding sediment or eaten by bacteria.
He said he plans to leave the ship on the seabed because raising it would be hugely expensive and require taking some of the joints apart.
The ship, which was powered by both sails and oars was mainly used for trade but could have occasionally played a role in battle, raiding coastal cities.
The find is one of 67 wrecks found in the area.
Previous finds were discovered dating back as far as 2,500 years, including galleys from the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman empires.
THE ship looks almost identical to the ship depicted on the side of the so called ‘Siren Vase’ housed in the British Museum.
The design on the ancient property depicts a scene from Homer’s Odyssey, one of the oldest and most famous stories in history.
It details the tale of Odysseus and his ten year journey back from fighting in the Trojan War.
On the epic voyage he encounters numerous mythological figures including a Cyclops, gods and goddesses and even a visit to the underworld.
But one of the most famous scenes, as depicted on the vase, involves the eponymous hero ordering his crew to lash him to lash him to the mast and block his ears to resist the “Siren’s call”
Sirens were dangerous creatures who would lure sailors to shipwreck on the rock coasts with their enchanting songs.
They were said to be a combination of women and birds.
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