Archaeologists are now examining the remains of 37 shipwrecks that could shed light on the history of shipbuilding.

Live Science said the wrecks reveal how ship-building evolved during the Middle Ages.

The researchers discovered the shipwrecks in Yenikapi, a port in Istanbul. They said the wrecks are still in good shape and that these date from the 5th and 11th centuries.

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"Never before has such a large number and types of well-preserved vessels been found at a single location," said study author Cemal Pulak, of the Institute of Nautical Archaeology at Texas A&M University.

Archaeologists found six round ships, 26 to 48 feet long, and propelled mostly by sail. They also found two oared galleys 100 feet long.

In some of these ships, the shell was constructed first while others had the skeleton built first. So the shell-first to skeleton-first transition was already underway by the seventh century, researchers say.

"It is through meticulous and time-consuming detective work that we slowly begin to understand how these ships were built, modified, overhauled and used. By such means, we try understand the minds of the shipbuilders and their design and conceptualization processes, in order to better comprehend the history of science and engineering," Pulak said.

According to Institute of Nautical Archaeology, the site has produced leather shoes, wooden combs, horses, camels, and human heads that may have belonged to criminals whose skulls were thrown in the harbor.

A large museum in Istanbul is planning to exhibit many of the wrecks. But Pulak said it could take several years to restore the timber of each ship's hull, he said.

The report of the discovery was published online in the International Journal of Nautical Archeology.

TagsByzantine Shipwrecks, ancient ship, shipbuilding, wrecks, ancient artifact, artifact