In the south of France, archaeologists have discovered a sunken 1300-year-old ship.
It is reported by NBC News.
Partial remains of an “extremely rare” vessel, 12 meters long, radiocarbon dated to between 680 and 720 BC. AD, found in Villenave d’Ornon near Bordeaux.
The French National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research said the boat was “an exceptional example of the maritime architecture of the High Middle Ages” and was able to navigate the rivers as well as the Atlantic coasts of France.
“In order to limit the destruction of the wood of the sunken ship, especially now that it is in the south-west of France, it is extremely hot, we pour water on it every 30 minutes. Excavations and dismantling of the sunken ship should be completed by mid-September. At the moment, we are on schedule, and each piece of wood dismantled allows us to learn more about the shipbuilding techniques of the early Middle Ages, ”said Laurent Grimbert, who leads the excavations at the institute.
The ship was discovered in 2013 in a silty creek bed. But only now it is being carefully examined piece by piece to find out its true nature and purpose.
Photo: Philippe Lopez / AF
