Historic 90-foot shipwreck discovered under sand dune

A historic shipwreck has been discovered after emerging from beneath a sand dune, according to a recent study.

The wreck, which represents the remains of a roughly 90-foot-long vessel, was found on the southern coasts of the Caspian Sea in the Iranian province of Mazandaran.

The Caspian Sea is the world’s largest inland body of water located in a semi-arid region encompassing southern Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran, and Azerbaijan. It stretches around 750 miles from north to south, with an average width of around 200 miles.

The water of the Caspian, which is sometimes referred to as the world’s largest lake, exhibits significant variability over time, experiencing fluctuations linked to climate change in the region.

These periodic rises and falls in sea level have significantly altered the beach profile of the Iranian Caspian coast. And over the past two decades, the fluctuations have led to the discovery of several cultural relics and historic shipwrecks along this coast.

In the autumn of 2003, the remains of a wooden ship emerged from beneath a sand dune north of the Iranian village of Zaghemarz, which was later excavated over the course of two seasons by a team of archaeologists. The results of these excavations and subsequent analysis are detailed in a study published this month in the Journal of Maritime Archaeology.

“Its emergence near the shoreline in an unexpected coastal location was attributed to wave action, resulting from rising sea levels, which eroded part of the sand covering the submerged ship,” the authors wrote in the study.

Prior to excavation, researchers anticipated that removing sand around the ship would expose it to violent sea waves. As a precautionary measure, a protective wall was constructed parallel to the ship’s hull using thousands of 50-kilogram (110-pound) bags filled with sand.

The wreck, ultimately identified as most likely a three-masted ship with a double hull, had long been buried under a sand dune approximately 10 feet high.

Despite the degradation caused by the passage of time and human activity, investigations enabled the identification of the ship’s type, dimensions, construction method, the most likely construction date and remnants of its cargo.

After the team removed sand from the ship, the overall dimensions and shape of the vessel could be determined: measuring 92 feet long by 26 feet wide.

Researchers hoped to uncover goods and items that could shed light on the intended function of the ship. But the cargo yielded “disappointing” results, being nearly empty, according to the researchers. Thus, the purpose of the vessel remains something of a mystery.

The only items recovered included animal bones, remnants of wood and ropes and three baskets containing plant material, which may have constituted part of the ship’s stores and provision.

The team also conducted dating work on wood samples and other remains from the ship, which in combination with the available historical records, indicate that it was constructed between the late 18th century and the first half of the 19th century.

Some time after this, the vessel’s operations ceased due to sinking or stranding on a beach, leading to its abandonment.

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Reference

Costantini, L., Donne, M. D., & Soortiji, S. (2024). The Shipwreck of Zaghemarz, Mazandaran, Iran: Archaeology, Archaeobotany and Absolute Dating of an Eighteenth-Century Vessel of the Caspian Sea. Journal of Maritime Archaeology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11457-024-09430-6