Tailor Made Holidays in Syria: In the News

World's oldest stowaway: 08-09-2008

A mouse from Syria has recently been given the dubious honour of becoming the world's earliest recorded rodent stowaway – and could establish the origin of its fated vessel.

The rodent's jawbone was found in the wreck of a Bronze Age royal ship that sank 3,500 years ago and archaeologist Thomas Cucchi believes it to be the earliest recorded case of a mouse stowing away on a boat.

The ship, which contained ivory, silver, ebony and gold bore a gold scarab with the name of the Egyptian queen Nefertiti.

Although the ship's origin is still a subject of debate, the jawbone has been confirmed as belonging to a Mus Musculus domesticus, or domestic mouse, with molars bearing similarities of the modern house mice of Syria, according to TopNews.in.

Because stowaway mice evolve and develop larger bodies when living on ships for generations, the fact that this mouse's body was small suggests that it boarded the ship in Syria, which could mean that the boat was built there.

Situated on the Mediterranean Sea, Syria boasts a plethora of quality beaches for travellers to explore, with average temperatures of around 19 degrees.