A 2,500-year-old Phoenician shipwreck has been discovered underwater in the southeastern Spanish region of Murcia. Spanish archaeologists are now working hard to recover the ancient shipwreck from the sea before a storm destroys it forever.
This remarkable archaeological find, known as the Mazarrón II measures eight meters in length and was named after the region where it was found. The ship is of great archaeological value and a unique piece of ancient maritime engineering.
If scientists can retrieve the shipwreck, they will be able to learn more about the Phoenicians’ transportation of metals, such as lead, from the Iberian Peninsula.
Nine technicians from the University of Valencia have spent 560 hours underwater documenting all the cracks and fissures in the ship, which lies 60 meters (66 yards) from the Mazarrón’s Playa de la Isla.