Sixteenth Century Wreck in Namibia
In April a crane driver from a diamond mining company spotted coins at a site that had been drained for diamond mining. These turned out to be from a shipwreck, which looks as though it might be a 16th century Portuguese trading ship. A team of archaeologists is now working around the clock to excavate it.
So far they have found gold and silver coins, cannonballs, copper ingots, ivory navigation instruments, pewter plates, pieces of ceramics, and parts of the wooden hull. The copper ingots carry a trident seal that was used by the Fugger family, an influential German banking and merchant family who supplied goods to the Portuguese crown. The cargo comes from Africa, Asia and Europe, showing how extensive trade networks were in the 1500s.
The mining operation works by building a sea-wall and then draining the area and dredging the dry seabed. Pumps are needed to stop the sea reclaiming the area, but they cost thousands of dollars a week to operate. The excavation is due to go on until mid-October.
You can get the full story from the BBC, from where the above pictures comes.
Tags: Historic