Friday 17 June 2022 10:55 PM Archeologists race against time to save a 1,300-year-old shipwreck in France trends now
Archaeologists are in a race against time to save a 1,300-year-old shipwreck in France that is so fragile, air can destroy the wooden remains.
The 40-foot-long boat carcass, which was unearthed near Bordeaux, consists of beams that have not been in contact with oxygen or light for quite a while, resulting in them dehydrating and splitting.
However, teams are spraying the beams with water every 30 minutes until each of the some 200 pieces can be carefully removed and submerged in water.
The boat's final resting place has not yet been decided – the wooden beams could be injected with resin to preserve it or the shipwreck could be reburied where it was found, according to archeologists.
Archaeologists are in a race against time to save a 1,300-year-old shipwreck in France that is so fragile, air can destroy the wooden remains
The boat remains were first discovered in 2013, but has just now been completely exposed above the silted bed of a stream.
The vessel is dated between 680 and 720 and is believed to have been used to ship goods throughout an old arm of the Garonne, which is a river of southwest France and northern Spain.
But archeologists say the ship was strong enough to travel as far as the Atlantic coast.
According to Inrap, the institute involved in the work, the 'wreck will be cleared and documented by photo surveys, 3D restitution, topography and recording of the various pieces of wood. It will be dismantled and numbered piece by piece.
The 40-foot-long boat carcass, which was unearthed near Bordeaux, consists of beams that have not been in contact with oxygen or light for quite a while, resulting in them dehydrating and splitting
However, teams are spraying the beams with water every 30 minutes until each of the some 200 pieces can be carefully removed and submerged in water
The vessel is dated between 680 and 720 and is believed to have been used to ship goods throughout an old arm of the
