A National Geographic expedition to the Black Sea led by Explorer-in-Residence Robert Ballard discovered four ancient shipwrecks, one almost perfectly preserved
with its wooden mast and stanchions still standing about 1,000 feet (300 meters) below the sea. The expedition
also discovered evidence of what may be an archaeological site.
The discovery in September of the well-preserved ship confirms scientists belief that the
oxygen-deprived waters of the Black Sea below 656 feet (200 meters) provide an ideal
environment for preserving ancient wooden vessels, making that sea a treasure-house for
archaeologists. Shipwrecks in most other bodies of water usually are robbed of their wooden parts
quickly by wood-boring organisms.
Scientific analysis of the expeditions archaeological materials, conducted under the
direction of chief archaeologist Fredrik Hiebert of the University of Pennsylvania Museum of
Archaeology and Anthropology, included radiocarbon dating of wood from the shipwreck and
five wooden artifacts recovered from an apparent archaeological site discovered about 300 feet (about 100 meters)
below the surface of the Black Sea. The site was near the submerged ancient coastline, flooded
several thousand years ago.