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15 of the Oldest Ships Ever Found

Edited By: Natalia J.

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Humanity has been a seafaring species for thousands of years, with the first surviving vessels and records of seamanship appearing in Austronesian people in the region of contemporary Southern China and Taiwan. At around 3,000-1,500 BC, the ships built by these people were already so advanced that their presence allowed them to travel all across Maritime Southeast Asia in the process known as the Austronesian Expansion.

At roughly the same time, Ancient Egyptians started developing the first ships in the Mediterranean, and one of the oldest surviving sailboats in the world has been preserved from Ancient Egyptian times, dating all the way back to 2500 BC! Let’s learn of this early history of seamanship and shipbuilding by admiring 15 of the oldest surviving ships in the world, ranked from “newest” to oldest.

15. La Belle (1684)

Built in: Kingdom of France

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

14. Vasa (1627)

Built in: Swedish Empire

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

13. Bremen cog (1380)

Built in: Holy Roman Empire

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

12. Skuldelev 2 (1042)

Built in: Kingdom of Dublin

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons (left) and Wikimedia Commons (right)

11. Gokstad ship (900)

Built in: Norway

The Oldest Ships Ever Found Gokstad ship

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

10. Oseberg Ship (820)

Built in: Norway

The Oldest Ships Ever Found Oseberg Ship

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

9. Nydam Mose (310-320)

Built in: Nordic tribal area

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

8. Arles Rhône 3 (1st century AD)

Built in: Ancient Rome

The Oldest Ships Ever Found Arles Rhône 3

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

7. Sea of Galilee Boat (120 BC - 50 AD)

Built in: Ancient Rome

The Oldest Ships Ever Found Sea of Galilee Boat

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

6. Hjortspring boat (400-300 BC)

Built in: Nordic tribal area

The Oldest Ships Ever Found Hjortspring boat

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

5. Kyrenia ship (400-300 BC)

Built in: Macedonia

The Oldest Ships Ever Found Kyrenia ship

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

4. Ma'agan Michael ship (400-500 BC)

Built in: Palaestina Prima

The Oldest Ships Ever Found Ma'agan Michael ship

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

3. Dover Bronze Age Boat (1500 BC), the oldest substantially intact boat in the world

Built in: Prehistoric Britain

The Oldest Ships Ever Found Dover Bronze Age Boat (1500 BC)

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons (left) and Wikimedia Commons (right)

2. Khufu ship (2500 BC), one of the largest and best-preserved vessels from antiquity

Built in: Ancient Egypt

The Oldest Ships Ever Found Khufu ship (2500 BC)

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

1. Pesse canoe, the world's oldest known boat (8040-7510 BC)

Built in: Mesolithic Europe

The Oldest Ships Ever Found Pesse canoe, the world's oldest known boat (8040-7510 BC)

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

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Related Topics: history, vehicles, water, Vessel, ships, photo collection, Mediterranean, oldest, vikings, ancient ruins, ancient egypt

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