Scientists were surprised by a 2,200-year-old Roman shipwreck

Scientists were surprised by their findings after analyzing a 2,200-year-old Roman shipwreck The depths of the Adriatic Sea have preserved the remains of a vessel from the Roman Republic era that sank around 2,200 years ago near the current coastlines of Croatia. Known as Ilovik-Paržine 1, the ship was discovered in 2016. A new scientific analysis published in Frontiers in Materials revealed how the vessel was protected and repaired in antiquity. Researchers examined ten samples of the ship’s coating using mass spectrometry and identified two formulas used to protect the wooden hull from water, salt, and marine organisms. Most of the samples contained pine pitch, a vegetable-based tar derived from conifers. However, in one specific area of the hull, they found a mixture of pine pitch and beeswax, known among Greek shipbuilders as zopissa. Dr. Armelle Charrié, an archaeometrist at the Laboratory of Mass Spectrometry of Interactions and Systems in Strasbourg, emphasized the importance of studying such materials: “In archaeology, little attention is given to organic waterproofing materials. Yet, they are essential for navigation in the sea or rivers and serve as true witnesses to past naval technologies.” The sticky nature of the pitch trapped pollen grains from the environment during application. Thousands of years later, these remnants allowed researchers to identify the vegetation in the areas where the ship was built or repaired. The analysis uncovered pollen from holm oaks, pines, olive trees, hazelnuts, ash, and maple, along with small amounts of fir and birch, trees typical of the mountainous regions of Istria and Dalmacia. Charrié explained: “Analyzing the pollen in the coating enabled us to identify the plant varieties present in the immediate surroundings during the construction or repairs of the ship.” The study also showed that the vessel received multiple protective layers over time. Researchers identified at least four or five distinct maintenance processes throughout its history. On the prow, three sets of coatings were found, indicating that the ship was repaired at different times and possibly in several locations across the Mediterranean. The analyses of the ballast had already pointed to Brundisium, modern-day Brindisi in southern Italy, as a possible place of construction. The earliest layers of pitch are consistent with this origin, while other pollen remnants suggest subsequent repairs along the northeastern coast of the Adriatic, near where the ship ultimately sank. Charrié summarized the significance of the discovery: “Although it seems obvious that ships traveling long distances require repairs, it is simply not easy to prove this. The pollen has been very useful in identifying different coatings where molecular profiles were identical.”