marine archaeology

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>

Exploration Has Begun on 'Holy Grail of Shipwrecks'
Deep in the Caribbean,
an 'Unprecedented'
Mission Is Underway
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Jun 1, 2024 11:40 AM CDT

Deep in the Caribbean, an 'Unprecedented' Mission Is Underway

Colombian government begins exploring Spain's San Jose galleon, the 'holy grail of shipwrecks'

(Newser) - In June of 1708, the Spanish galleon San Jose was attacked by the British Royal Navy and sank in the Caribbean off the coast of Cartagena, resting on the ocean floor with a reputed $20 billion in treasure on board. Only a handful of the 600 or so men on...

It Could Be Europe's 'Oldest Man-Made Megastructure'
Beneath the Sea, an Ancient
'Man-Made Megastructure'
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Feb 17, 2024 12:10 PM CST

Beneath the Sea, an Ancient 'Man-Made Megastructure'

Stone Age wall found in sea off Germany thought to have been used to hunt reindeer

(Newser) - More than 10,000 years ago, humans constructed a long, low wall, using rocks weighing a combined 150 tons. Discovered by accident in 2021, the Blinkerwall—submerged 70 feet deep in the Baltic Sea, 6 miles off the coast of Rerik, Germany—is now a candidate for the oldest known...

Florida Road Workers Make 'Incredible' Find Under Highway
Florida Road Workers Make
'Incredible' Find Under Highway
in case you missed it
Oct 28, 2023 6:30 AM CDT

Florida Road Workers Make 'Incredible' Find Under Highway

Shipwreck believed to be from 1800s discovered in St. Augustine, 'encapsulated in soil and mud'

(Newser) - A construction crew doing routine roadwork in a Florida city have made a decidedly unroutine find. FOX 35 and 10 Tampa Bay report that workers with the state's Department of Transportation were recently working on a stretch of road near the Bridge of Lions in St. Augustine, the continuation...

Shipwreck in Norwegian Lake Could Be From Middle Ages

More vessels likely to be discovered during sonar scan of Lake Mjosa

(Newser) - A survey of the biggest lake in Norway has revealed an almost perfectly preserved shipwreck, possibly from the Middle Ages. The 33-foot-long wooden ship is believed to have sunk between the 1300s and 1850 based on signs of a central rudder at what appears to be the ship's stern,...

Long-Lost Warship From 1600s Is Finally Found

The Applet, sister ship of the doomed Vasa, discovered off Stockholm

(Newser) - The sister ship of the iconic 17th-century Swedish warship Vasa has finally been found, almost 400 years after its intentional sinking. The Applet was discovered in a strait off Vaxholm island outside Stockholm in December, then explored further this past spring, according to the Swedish Museum of Wrecks . "Our...

Divers Find Long-Lost Head of Hercules
Divers Make
Herculean Find
at Antikythera
Wreck
in case you missed it
Jun 26, 2022 7:35 AM CDT

Divers Make Herculean Find at Antikythera Wreck

Once giant boulders were removed, head of Hercules statue found in 1900 emerged

(Newser) - Marine archaeologists have better access to the world's richest ancient shipwreck after boulders were lifted from the Roman-era Antikythera wreck that yielded the famous Antikythera Mechanism calculator, revealing new treasures within. In addition to human teeth, the lead weight for an anchor, iron nails, and the base of a...

Off the Coast of Israel, a Rare Archaeological Find

900-year old sword that likely belonged to knight from the Crusades discovered by diver

(Newser) - Imagine arriving in the Holy Land nearly 1,000 years ago, fired up to yank back the territory from Islamic rule in the name of the pope, and then ... dropping your sword in the sea. That seems to have been the embarrassing scenario for one knight, whose long-lost sword has...

Treasures Abound on Canada's Legendary Wreck

HMS Erebus artifacts include a hairbrush, a lead stamp

(Newser) - When the flagship of a doomed 1845 expedition to find the Northwest Passage was discovered in Canada's Arctic in 2014, experts could hardly contain their glee at the thought of the artifacts lying in wait. They weren't disappointed. Some 350 items, including a 170-year-old wax seal boasting a...

At Heart of Lake Titicaca, an Ancient Treasure Trove

Evidence suggests ritual sacrifice by the Tiwanaku

(Newser) - To the Aymara people of the Andes, Lake Titicaca is a mystical being. It's a belief that dates back hundreds of years to the Inca—and beyond, as evidenced by treasure pulled from the lake's depths, per Live Science . Divers have discovered gold medallions marked with a ray-faced...

Surprising Find in Blackbeard's Cannon: Reading Material

Researchers find scraps of paper, figure out book they came from

(Newser) - Pirates of yore plundered, but they also read books, apparently. While cleaning sludge out of a cannon recovered from Blackbeard's flagship, scientists discovered bits of paper and were able to figure out the name of a book kept on board. The 16 fragments, each no bigger than a quarter,...

500-Year-Old Navigational Tool Discovered in Shipwreck

Mariners used astrolabes to determine position of sun, stars

(Newser) - The world's earliest known navigational tool used by Vasco da Gama's fleet was discovered in a shipwreck off the Oman coast, NPR reports. Called a marine astrolabe, it's believed to date from 1495 to 1500. Unlike the Game of Thrones intro astrolabe, sailors used this one to...

Underwater 'Lost City' Is Something Else Entirely

Looks like mystery off of Greek island comes down to methane

(Newser) - A "lost city" discovered by snorkelers off the Greek island of Zakynthos isn't an underwater metropolis after all. "We investigated the site, which is between [6.5 to 16 feet] underwater, and found that it is actually a natural geologically occurring phenomenon," Julian Andrews, lead author...

Divers Find Roman-Era 'Trash' Saved by Shipwreck

Merchant ship sank off Israel 1.6K years ago

(Newser) - A Roman-era treasure trove has been retrieved thanks to two strokes of luck. The first happened 1,600 years ago when a merchant ship carrying the statues and coins to be recycled sank in the ancient port of Caesarea in Israel. The second came last month when two divers discovered...

Famous Wreck Isn't Done Revealing Its Secrets

Antikythera in Greece yields more treasures, and researchers think more await

(Newser) - A shipwreck that gave the world the deeply mysterious Antikythera mechanism is still yielding treasures—and teaching researchers about the lifestyles of the Greek and ancient. The latest finds at the ancient wreck dubbed the "Titanic of the ancient world" include a bone flute, a bronze armrest that may...

French Baron's Long-Lost Ship Possibly Found —Off Israel

Baron de Rothschild shipped materials to his glass factory in Tantura from France

(Newser) - A mysterious, century-old shipwreck found 40 years ago off Israel's coast has been tentatively revealed to be a priceless find: the long-lost ship of a French baron, say Haifa University archaeologists. Baron Edmond James de Rothschild—who moved raw materials from France to a glass factory he constructed in...

Ancient Well Hints at Undiscovered Village

Well was submerged under 16 feet of water

(Newser) - Slumbering some 16 feet below the surface of the Mediterranean is a 7,500-year-old well that may contain something more than water. Maritime archaeologists excavating in Israel uncovered the site in October; it's been dated to the pre-pottery Neolithic period, according to a press release from Flinders University. The...

Remarkable new finds at ship that gave up Antikythera mechanism

 'Titanic of 
 Ancient World' 
 Gives Up 
 New Riches 
in case you missed it
Oct 12, 2014 7:02 AM CDT

'Titanic of Ancient World' Gives Up New Riches

Diver: 'This is the largest ancient shipwreck ever discovered'

(Newser) - As wrecks go, the one that gave up the 2,000-year-old Antikythera mechanism has long been considered a remarkable one. Even more so now: Archaeologists finished a three-week underwater excavation at the site off the coast of Antikythera in southern Greece on Tuesday and discovered that the ship was much...

UN: Wreck Isn't Columbus Flagship

UNESCO wants to continue search for Santa Maria

(Newser) - The United Nations' cultural body is on the trail of Christopher Columbus' flagship—and it says the wreck that an expedition identified as the Santa Maria earlier this year is a different, much younger ship. As predicted by authorities in Haiti , UNESCO experts say there is "indisputable proof" that...

Wreck That Gave Up 'Antikythera Mechanism' Revisited

'Exosuits' allow closer look at shipwreck off Greek island

(Newser) - A shipwreck that yielded a 2,000-year-old "computer" known as the Antikythera Mechanism is being freshly explored using another remarkable piece of technology. A new, spacesuit-like "Exosuit" is being worn by deep-sea-diving archaeologists searching a shipwreck off the coast of a Greek island over the next month. The...

Archaeologist: Santa Maria Wreckage in Danger

Barry Clifford fears looters, but government skeptics remain

(Newser) - Underwater archaeologist Barry Clifford yesterday alerted the world to what he sees as the danger of looting at the site of what could be Christopher Columbus' Santa Maria . "There is nobody watching the ship right now," he said at the Explorers Club in New York, and "somebody...

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>
Most Read on Newser