According to maritime archaeologists, the ship has been damaged and looted since its discovery in 2017.
In the course of their recent study, scientists studied the wreckage of an ancient merchant ship that had lain at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea for about 2200 years, reports the Chronicle.info with reference to Focus.
How it turned out they had been damaged and looted since their discovery back in 2017. The ship, named Fort Royal 1, is believed to have sunk off the coast of Cannes on the Côte d'Azur in the 2nd century BC. Divers commissioned to carry out the first official surveys of the wreck discovered that some of the clay containers known as amphoras, used at the time to transport wine, had been retrieved by other divers who had boarded the ship.
« Well-preserved wrecks from this period are extremely rare. That is why the opportunity to study the wooden hull and cargo is an amazing chance not only for scientists, but also for people who want to enrich themselves at the expense of ancient artifacts», marine archaeologists said.
The ship was discovered in 2017 by famous by the French maritime archaeologists Anne and Jean-Pierre Joncheret, who have combed the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea for decades.
«A shipwreck, by its very nature, is evidence of trade and cultural dialogue between peoples. It also functions as a time capsule, providing a picture of what life was like on board», the scientists concluded.