List of shipwrecks before Anno Domini

The list of shipwrecks before Anno Domini includes some ships sunk, wrecked or otherwise lost before the year AD 1 of the Gregorian calendar.

Before 20th century BC

Year Origin Name Type Location Notes
3455 BCE — 3400 BCE Swifterbant Bergschenhoek Shipwreck Logboat Bergschenhoek, Netherlands
2700–2200 BC Argolid Dokos shipwreck Small merchant vessel Coast of southern Greece near the island of Dokos [1]

20th–10th century BC

Year Origin Name Type Location Notes
1410 BC Danish Svælget 2 Shipwreck Cog Sound, Denmark Protected by law
c. 1300 BC Canaanite Canaanite shipwreck merchant vessel 90 kilometres (56 mi) off Israel in the Mediterranean Sea Wreck is located at a depth of 1,800 metres (5,900 ft).[2]
1300 BC Canaan Uluburun shipwreck Deep-sea merchant vessel Southeast of Kaş, Turkey [citation needed]
1200 BC Canaan Cape Gelidonya shipwreck Coastal merchant vessel Cape Gelidonya [citation needed]
1200–1000 BC Istrian Zambratija shipwreck Sewn boat Bay of Zambratija near Umag [citation needed]

7th century BC

Year Origin Name Type Location Notes
unknown Phoenician Gozo Phoenician shipwreck deep-sea merchant vessel Off Malta [3]
600 BC Phoenician Bajo de la Campana Phoenician shipwreck Trade ship Off Murcia, Spain [citation needed]
650–600 BC Phoenician Phoenician shipwrecks of Mazarrón Coastal merchant vessels Off Mazarrón, Spain [citation needed]

6th century BC

Year Origin Name Type Location Notes
~600 BC Etruria Giglio Island shipwreck Coastal merchant vessel Giglio Island, Italy [4]

5th century BC

Year Origin Name Type Location Notes
~400 BC Phoenician Ma'agan Mikha'el shipwreck Coastal merchant vessel Kibbutz Ma'agan Michael, Israel [5]
450–425 BC Erythrae Tektas wreck Coastal merchant vessel Turkey [5]

4th century BC

Year Origin Name Type Location Notes
unknown unknown Mediterranean on the Eratosthenes Seamount Found by the Ocean Exploration Trust's vessel EV Nautilus.[6]
unknown unknown Porticello [5]
unknown Greek unknown Merchant ship Black Sea, off the coast of Bulgaria Rudder, rowing benches, and hold still intact.[7]

3rd century BC

Year Origin Name Type Location Notes
c. 294 BC Greek Kyrenia Merchant ship Kyrenia, Cyprus [citation needed]
241 BC Punic Marsala Punic ships Sicily [5]

2nd century BC

Year Origin Name Type Location Notes
Late 2nd century BC unknown Warship Thonis Sunk by debris falling from a temple that collapsed during an earthquake.[8]

1st century BC

Year Origin Name Type Location Notes
80 BC Mahdia shipwreck [citation needed]
86 BC Antikythera wreck [citation needed]

References

  1. ^ Lienhard, John H. "A Minoan Wreck". University of Houston. The Engines of Our Ingenuity. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  2. ^ "Cargo from 'most ancient' shipwreck found off Israel". BBC News. 20 June 2024. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  3. ^ "Exploring an Archaic Shipwreck off Xlendi Bay, Gozo". Phoenician Shipwreck Project. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  4. ^ Lienhard, John H. "An Etruscan Wreck". The Engines of Our Ingenuity. University of Houston. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
  5. ^ a b c d Åkesson, Per. "Wrecks & shipfinds of the Mediterranean". www.abc.se. Retrieved 7 September 2018.
  6. ^ Learn, Joseph Rapp (9 December 2017). "Wayfarers of the ancient world". New Scientist. Vol. 236, no. 3155. p. 12.
  7. ^ Lettens, Jan. "Oldest intact shipwreck found in the Black Sea". Wrecksite. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  8. ^ "Underwater archaeologists discover ancient shipwreck in sunken city". Heritage Daily. 22 July 2021. Retrieved 26 July 2021.