French scientists are using robots to explore a trading ship that has lain on the seabed of the Mediterranean for over four centuries. The ship was discovered at a depth of more than 2.4 kilometers.
Scientists are investigating a sunken trading ship off the southeast coast of France, which is at least 400 years old. The ship lies at a depth of more than 2.4 kilometers, making it the deepest known sunken vessel in the country's territorial waters, writes Smithsonian magazine.
The ship, named Camarat 4 by researchers, was loaded with cannons, boilers, and hundreds of ceramic items – plates and jugs – that can still be seen on the seabed. Scientists are surveying the wreck site using an underwater robot and carefully raising a small portion of the artifacts.
The descent of the remotely operated robot – the only one in France capable of working at such great depths – took an hour. Over the next hours, its cameras took eight snapshots per second, creating 66,974 images that were then combined to recreate a 3D model of the wreckage. The clear water allowed researchers to spot six cannons, two boilers, and an anchor. The cargo of the medieval traders consisted mainly of ceramics adorned with intricate patterns. Some items bore the letters IHS – the first three letters of the name Jesus Christ in Greek or Latin.
Scientists remotely operated the robot's manipulators to carefully grasp artifacts and transport them to the surface. Researchers successfully raised three jugs and a plate. One of these jugs turned out to be a round vessel decorated with dark blue lines and yellow geometric patterns.
"This is a real time capsule. It feels like time has stopped on this ship," shares the expedition's chief archaeologist, Marine Sadania.
Thanks to the depth, the ship has survived all forms of destruction, as well as looting. At the same time, modern debris has found its way to the shipwreck – in particular, beer cans, plastic bottles, fishing nets, and yogurt containers.
The exact location of the ship remains a secret for now. Scientists describe the vessel as unique for research.
Researchers call the find a true "time capsule." Due to the immense depth, the ship has been virtually untouched by looting and destruction, preserving unique artifacts from the Medieval era, writes bb.lv. Now scientists hope to learn more about trade routes and the lives of sailors of that time.
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