In 1965, a diver looking for sponges off the coast of Cyprus discovered the remains of a ship at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea. When archaeologists pulled the Greek Hellenistic-period vessel to the surface, they realized it was transporting a cargo of wine and almonds.
Now, six decades later, those almonds have helped researchers piece together the shipwreck’s timeline. An analysis of the nutritious nuts, along with samples of wood taken from the ship’s timbers, suggest it sank between 286 and 272 B.C.E., according to a study published last week in the journal PLOS One.
Researchers have been studying the 46-foot Kyrenia shipwreck for years. They know it had a crew of four, was constructed from wood with lead sheathing and had one mast with a square sail.
