Archaeologists and divers have their hands full in the Black Sea as both an ancient Greek ship and an ancient Roman ship have both been discovered hidden in the sea’s great depths.

According to the Greek Reporter, the ancient Greek ship was found in the Mykolaiv region, and it has been tentatively dated as having sailed 2,500 years ago. The ship was detected during a collaboration between the Warsaw Institute of Archaeology and the Institute of Archaeology of NAS of Ukraine, and is thought to be one of the oldest ships that has ever been found in this area of the Black Sea.

Vyacheslav Gerasimov, who is the head of the archaeological team that is currently investigating the Greek ship, believes that it probably once sailed along busy trade routes to places like Chersonesos and Olbia.

“This ship is one of the oldest known in the Northern black sea. The ship belonged to the ancient Greek mariners V century BC – the period of colonization of the Northern black sea, when was the first settlement of Olbia.”

Archaeologists are working hard to learn more about the ancient Greek ship that is still submerged in the Black Sea, and their investigation is of the utmost importance as if they lift the ship too soon there is the possibility that its wood could end up collapsing outright after coming up for air, according to Gerasimov.

“Lift without certain conditions for the preservation and storage is impossible; the wood that lays more than 2 thousand years under water may fall to pieces.”

Proving just how many remarkable finds can be discovered lurking in the Black Sea, Russian archaeologists have also recently found an ancient Roman ship sitting at the bottom of the sea, according to Newsweek.

Roman Dunayev is the man responsible for first detecting the shipwreck, and he noted that even its anchor is exceedingly well-preserved. It is this anchor that allowed archaeologists to discover its true Roman origin

“We have found an ancient wooden sailing ship with a well-preserved anchor. The anchor suggests that the ship can be preliminarily dated to the Roman period. If it turns true, it is a unique find as it is the first Roman vessel found in Crimea in such an excellent condition.”

The ancient Roman ship is located just 252 feet from the port of Sevastopol in the Black Sea, and is still in excellent condition thanks to the little oxygen and light it received while it was submerged.

“The ship has retained its shape due to the unusual conditions at great depths in the Black Sea, with almost no light or oxygen.”

Archaeologists are still trying to determine a rough date for the sinking of the ancient Roman ship in the Black Sea.