Perfectly-preserved ancient pots stuffed with 1300-year-old ingredients were among the remarkable artefacts found in a shipwreck off the coast of Israel this week.
Researchers say the ship, which was loaded with cargo from all over the Mediterranean, proves traders from the West still came to port in the Holy Land even after the 7th-century Islamic conquest.
Whether it was a surprise storm or an inexperienced captain that lead to the ship's sinking is currently unknown, but the fir and walnut merchant vessel went down in the shallow waters off what is today the Israeli coastal community of Maagan Michael.
