The remains of a long-lost vessel once described by the ancient Greek historian Herodotus have been discovered by researchers off the northern coast of Egypt.
The ship, called a baris , was detailed by the historian around 450 BC in a section of his Histories , which describe the ancient Greek, north African, and West Asian worlds.
But the unusual boat—which Herodotus wrote had long internal ribs, a crescent-shaped hull, papyrus sails, planks made of acacia trees, and a rudder installed in a hole in the keel—was never confirmed by any archaeological evidence until now.
Fragments of the vessel, which has been officially dubbed Ship 17, were uncovered near the remains of the ancient city of Thonis-Heracleion, a major Egyptian trading port that fell victim to flooding and soil liquefaction and abruptly sank into the Mediterranean near the end of the second century BC.
