The Phoenicians were the great seafarers of the ancient world. Their ships sailed the Mediterranean 5,000 years ago, when the Egyptians were building the pyramids. Later they traded with the ancient Greeks. Their home base was in what is now Lebanon, but they set up colonies in North Africa and Spain. Their ships sailed as far as England, carrying such goods as glass, cedarwood, wine and purple dye to trade.
Though they are mentioned in the Bible and other ancient texts, we know little of these long-ago sailors. That's why historians were overjoyed last month with the discovery of what looks like a sunken Phoenician ship. It was found nearly 3,000 feet deep in the Mediterranean. Pictures taken by a robot submarine show clay pots made in a style used by Phoenicians 2,500 years ago. Such pots, called amphoras, were used to carry wine, oil and other goods. "It's an incredible find," says Greg Stemm, of Odyssey Marine Exploration, which made the discovery. He hopes to raise money to explore the wreck and look for other treasures.