Archaeologists have uncovered a 16th-century merchant ship lying 2.5 kilometers underwater near southern France, marking the deepest such discovery in French waters. The ship, believed to be from northern Italy and carrying ceramics and metal bars, was found by an underwater drone during a government project monitoring deep-sea resources. Despite some modern debris, the site is largely intact with valuable artifacts such as jugs and cannons, indicating the wreck's well-preserved state due to its depth, which has protected it from looting.
It's the deepest shipwreck ever found in French territorial waters," Arnaud Schaumasse, the head of the culture ministry's underwater archaeology department, said late Wednesday.
The sonar detected something quite big, so we went back with the device's camera, then against with an underwater robot to snap high-quality images," said deputy maritime prefect Thierry de la Burgade.
Experts also identified piles of around 100 yellow plates, two cauldrons, an anchor and six cannons. Modern waste, such as a soda can or an empty yoghurt pot, were spotted too.
The site -- thanks to its depth which prevented any recovery or looting -- has remained intact, as if time froze."
Some of these jugs were marked with the monogram "IHS", the first three letters of the Greek name of Jesus, or covered with plant-inspired or geometric patterns.
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