A handsewn shipwreck from around 3,000 years ago will soon be pulled out of the sea so scientists can better study the remarkably well-preserved vessel. The wreck is off the Mediterranean coast of Croatia, in the Bay of Zambratija.
Known as the Zambratija boat, the vessel is dated to between the 12th and 10th centuries B.C., making it the oldest entirely handsewn boat in the Mediterranean, according to the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS).
The vessel measures around 39 feet in length, around 23 feet of which are in an excellent state of preservation, despite its age. The boat is made from pieces of wood that were intricately sewn together using flexible fibers.
Boat construction techniques that involved sewing like this were used in many parts of the world before the development of metal fasteners. And even after the arrival of metal fasteners, sewing techniques continued to be used in the construction of small boats for some time.
The Zambratija boat is a "rare" example of the ancient shipbuilding tradition of Istria and Dalmatia, two regions on the Croatian coast, according to the CNRS.
"Its architecture and its construction, the assembly technique of the strakes, as well as the waterproofing system of the hull, have no equivalent in the Mediterranean area," the CNRS-affiliated Centre Camille Jullian (CCJ) in France said in a description of the wreck.
It continued: "Due to all these architectural features, the types of assemblage employed and the dating, the Zambratija boat can be considered as the archetype of one of the sewn boat building traditions identified in the Adriatic."
Since the vessel's discovery by a fisherman in 2014, researchers have assessed the possibility of removing it from the water. On July 2 this year, a team of divers will remove sections of the boat from the Bay of Zambratija.
Once the pieces have been removed, scientists from the CCJ and the Archaeological Museum of Istria, which is in Pula, Croatia, will reconstruct the boat in three dimensions. The researchers will then identify the fibers used for the sewing and study the techniques used to shape the wood.
"Handling relics of this calibre is a delicate affair; therefore, every stage of the process will require the utmost care," the CNRS said in a press release.
Once the examinations of the boat have been completed, the "exceptional" vessel and its components will undergo a desalination process in Croatia. It will then be transported to Grenoble, France, where it will be fully restored by the Arc-Nucléart workshop.
The hope is that the fully restored boat will one day be exhibited in Pula in a planned museum dedicated to Istria's naval maritime heritage.
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Aristos is a Newsweek science reporter with the London, U.K., bureau. He reports on science and health topics, including; animal, ... Read more
