Ancient Secrets Uncovered at the Bottom of the Adriatic A 2,200 year old Roman shipwreck discovered off the coast of Croatia in 2016 has yielded another fascinating discovery: its ancient waterproofing secrets.
A recent study published in Frontiers in Materials reveals that the ship's hull was coated with pine tar and a mixture of tar and beeswax, which not only protected it from water but also captured pollen from nearby vegetation.
The implications of this finding are far reaching, as marine archaeology has long focused on wooden ship components while leaving the materials used to protect them largely unexplored.