An ancient ship's cargo, which experts are calling some of the oldest Phoenician artifacts, was found off a Maltese Island, according to the Associated Press.
Malta's Minister for Justice, Culture and Local Government, Owen Bonnici, said the Phoenician shipwreck was found Monday, Xinhua reported.
Timothy Gambin, a University of Malta researcher, said the artifacts found on the ship, 20 grinding stones and 50 amphorae, which are containers to hold wine, date back to 700 B.C., IB Times reported.
"The discovery is considered to be unique not only here but internationally as well because it is the oldest, or considered to be the oldest shipwreck in the central Mediterranean and it is in a fantastic state of preservation," Gambin told the Times of Malta. "The technical team is working on putting together the data. So that's a lot of data crunching. They are creating a very high-resolution 3D model of the site."
Phoenicians were traders and great maritime people who traveled the Mediterranean from 1550 B.C. until 300 B.C., according to Ancient History Encyclopedia.
The location of the shipwreck was found months ago but won't be disclosed until experts finish their work, according to AP.
Experts are hoping to find other parts of the ship and more artifacts beneath the seabed, which is about 1 mile off Gozo Island, AP reported.
Experts believed the ship was most likely sailing between Sicily and Malta when it sank.
