In the Mediterranean Sea, archaeologists have uncovered the remains of a 2600-year-old ancient ship in Dor Lagoon, Israel. Researchers from the University of Haifa reported finding nine unprocessed iron pieces called ‘blooms’ on the vessel, representing the world’s oldest known shipment of raw iron transported by sea.
This discovery sheds new light on how iron was produced and traded in ancient times. The recovered iron blooms appear to have been transported directly after being extracted from the furnace, without shaping or forging. Scientists used radiocarbon dating on the attached charcoal fragments to confirm the iron blooms date back 2600 years.
Published in the journal Heritage Science, this research validates the theory that in the ancient Mediterranean region, iron production sites and facilities for processing iron into tools were located separately.
