Science
Analysis of Roman shipwreck hull reveals ancient waterproofing techniques and repair routes
Researchers analyzing a 2,200-year-old vessel off Croatia used molecular and pollen data to map pitch coatings and regional maintenance histories.
The short version
- Archaeologists from France and Croatia analyzed waterproofing layers on the 2,200-year-old Roman Republican shipwreck Ilovik-Paržine 1.
- Molecular testing identified pine tar across the hull and a flexible pine tar-beeswax mixture known as zopissa in one specific area.
- Pollen trapped in the adhesive coatings indicates the vessel underwent multiple repair cycles across different regions of the Mediterranean and Adriatic.
Key facts
- Researchers analyzed 10 protective coating samples from the Ilovik-Paržine 1 shipwreck, which sank approximately 2,200 years ago off the Croatian coast.[ScienceDaily]
- Mass spectrometry and molecular fingerprinting confirmed the primary waterproofing material was coniferous pine tar, with one sample also containing beeswax.[ScienceDaily]
- Pollen grains preserved within the pitch revealed botanical signatures from coastal, riverbank, and mountainous regions such as Istria and Dalmatia.[ScienceDaily]
- The distribution of four to five distinct coating batches suggests repeated repairs to the vessel, including three separate applications at the bow.[ScienceDaily]
- The research was conducted by scientists from the Croatian Conservation Institute and Aix-Marseille University, and published in Frontiers in Materials.[ScienceDaily]
What remains uncertain
- The exact geographic locations and sequence of all coating applications remain inferred estimates based on pollen profiles and prior ballast studies pointing to Brindisi.[ScienceDaily]
Sources
- 2,200-year-old Roman shipwreck reveals ancient waterproofing secretsScienceDaily - Environment