Race Against Time: Spanish Archaeologists to Retrieve 2,500-Year-Old Phoenician Shipwreck

Quincy Jon, Tech Times 05 July 2023, 02:07 pm

Spanish archaeologists are working hard to retrieve the Mazarron II, a 2,500-year-old Phoenician shipwreck off the coast of Mazarron in Murcia. Archaeologists have begun a detailed recording process to safeguard the ship from an oncoming storm.

The crew, led by nine experts from the University of Valencia, examined the eight-meter-long shipwreck in-depth for more than 560 hours.

They thoroughly documented every fracture and crack using scuba diving equipment, yielding essential details regarding the state of the ship, according to Business World.

This comprehensive record will be essential in developing a plan for defending and recovering the ship. Later this year, the experts want to provide preservation technique recommendations, with possible recovery efforts starting as early as next summer.

One suggestion is to withdraw the ship piece by piece via existing gaps and reassemble it on dry land, much like a challenging puzzle.

An expert in nautical archaeology at the University of Valencia, Carlos de Juan, emphasized the significance of saving and maintaining the ship for display in a museum.

This strategy would guarantee that future generations may enjoy this priceless example of ancient maritime history without worrying about powerful storms destroying it all the time.

A group of Spanish archeologists will extract a 2,500-year-old Phoenician shipwreck piece by piece from the Mediterranean Sea and reassemble it onshore before a storm destroys it forever https://t.co/PTXoeKbSVF pic.twitter.com/yO7R3Qlosg
— Reuters (@Reuters) July 1, 2023

Shipwreck Holds Vital Historical Information

The Mazarron II, which is thought to have been built approximately 580 BC, offers a unique chance to learn about Phoenician trade customs.

The Phoenicians, who originated in modern-day Lebanon and Syria and created an extensive network of colonies and trade ports around the Mediterranean between 1,500 BC and 300 BC, have long captivated historians.

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The shipwreck proves the Phoenicians' methods for bringing lead from the Iberian Peninsula. By examining the ship's construction and contents, researchers aim to learn more about Phoenician maritime activity and their trade connections with other ancient civilizations, per Marine Insight.

Initial Steps to Save Shipwreck

Before being discovered about 30 years ago, the Mazarron II had been buried under silt layers for over two millennia. The wreckage, now 5.6 feet (1.7 meters) below the surface of the pristine Mediterranean seas, is in danger of being lost forever, according to The Epoch Times.

Sandbags were positioned around the wreckage to preserve it, and an early protective metal structure was constructed.

The sinking structure has been partly removed to guarantee that attention is kept on the recovery process since it presented a danger of crushing the delicate remains.

The retrieval of the Mazarron II by the Spanish archaeologists is a race against time as the storm closes in and prepares to unleash its destructive power that could destroy the massive piece of history.

The experts' dedicated efforts are motivated by a desire to protect this historic ship of immeasurable cultural and historical significance that holds vital information on the First Rulers of the Mediterranean.