Time froze at this 500-year-old shipwreck discovered kilometres deep in France

Archaeologists have stumbled upon a 16th-century merchant ship at a depth of more than two kilometres off the coast of southern France, CBS News reported. This is the deepest shipwreck found in the Mediterranean or any French waters. Located at 8,422 feet below sea level, the merchant ship is well preserved and contains ceramics and metal bars. The site has been dubbed "Camarat 4."

"It's the deepest shipwreck ever found in French territorial waters," Arnaud Schaumasse, the head of the culture ministry's underwater archaeology department, said late Wednesday.

The discovery was made "during a military operation to explore the seabed", France's Department of Underwater and Submarine Archaeological Research said. A drone sent out to scan the waters spotted the shipwreck in early March in waters near Saint-Tropez in southeastern France. The agency also released images of the seabed littered with ceramics.

"The sonar detected something quite big, so we went back with the device's camera, then again with an underwater robot to snap high-quality images," deputy maritime prefect Thierry de la Burgade said.

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Archaeologist Marine Sadania said 200 jugs with pinched spouts were discovered at the site. They bore the monogram "HIS," the first three letters of the Greek name of Jesus. Some of them were covered with plant-inspired or geometric patterns. Other things found at the shipwreck include 100 yellow plates, two cauldrons, an anchor and six cannons.

Sadania says the shipwreck's deep location has ensured that it remains untouched, preventing "any recovery or looting."

It has "remained intact, as if time froze," she added.

Human-made waste also made its way to the site, as photos show a soda can and an empty yoghurt container.

"Camarat 4 is a remarkable discovery for its depth, unprecedented character and the opportunity it offers to study an almost intact 16th-century wreck," France's Department of Underwater and Submarine Archaeological Research said.