When ancient shipwrecks are found, basically all that remains after them is the remains of wood. During the centuries spent under the waves, any organic matter is destroyed. But the icy depths sometimes become a tomb that preserves certain moments of hundreds and even thousands of years.
1. Cargo "Mentor"
About these artifacts, there are still disputes between Greece and the UK. In 1801, the British Lord Elgin filled 16 boxes with marble pieces of art that he had removed from the Parthenon. The following year, the British ship Mentor sailed to London, carrying on board the loot (or legal property, depending on the point of view of different parties) and Lord Elgin himself. Near the island of Kitera, the ship was caught in a storm and sank.
Mentor's controversial artifacts
Soon after, the boxes were lifted from the sea day, and today their contents are on display in the British Museum in London. The 17 sculptures and 56 wall panels that once adorned the Parthenon are the subject of a bitter dispute between the two countries.
More recently, archaeologists visited the site of the 200-year-old shipwreck to see if any artifacts were left aboard the Mentor. While they were looking for marble items from the Parthenon, there were other antiquities that Lord Elgin wanted to take out of Greece, in particular a stone vessel and handles of ancient Rhodian amphorae dating from the 3rd century BC.
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2. Something that looks like cheese
While preparing for battle in 1676, the royal warship Kronan accidentally sank itself. The Swedish ship heeled too much on the turn, and the sea water through the gun ports flooded the hold. Since the reopening of the sunken ship in 1980, more than 20,000 artifacts have been raised to the surface of the Baltic Sea. In 2016, Swedish scientists discovered a black tin can on the seabed. Inside it was a sticky, smelly mass, like half-decomposed cheese. Although no tests have yet been carried out and scientists cannot say with certainty what it is, they believe that the jar contains granular blue Roquefort cheese.
A battle involving the warship Krona
3. Gifts
Archaeologists were looking for the lost fleet of pirate captain Henry Morgan when they found the Encarnacion. Although this vessel did not carry valuable cargo and was not well known, it was a very rare find. Despite the fact that the ship was found at a depth of only 10 meters under water, it still contains more than a hundred boxes with sword blades, horseshoes and nails, as well as lead seals, which at that time were supplied to perishable goods. The horseshoes were designed for the huge caravans of mules that carried silver and gold from the depths of South America to the Isthmus of Panama, where they were loaded onto ships.
Gold-silver-diamonds
4. Arab dhow
Almost 20 years ago, divers who were hunting sea cucumbers between the Indonesian islands of Bangka and Belitung noticed a ceramic vessel stuck in the coral. It turned out to be the largest underwater archaeological discovery in Southeast Asia. Nearby there was a dilapidated Arab dhow (single-masted Arab ship), dating from the 9th century. It is the first Arab dhow to be found in these waters, and it was carrying a rich cargo of over 60,000 handicrafts from China. Changsha's hundreds of identical inkpots, vessels and tea bowls during the Chinese Tang Dynasty are very similar to modern goods that are mass-produced for export. Some of Changsha's treasures are in perfect condition that has never been seen before. The vessels were decorated with scenes from Buddhism and Islam
5. History of San Jose
Once upon a time, many ships of slave traders roamed the sea. However, no such wrecks have been found before. Finally, in 2010, the first wreck of a slaver ship was discovered. The archives of Portugal recorded the departure of the ship "San Jose" from Lisbon in April 1794. She carried 1,500 blocks of iron ballast on board. Ballast was of great importance as it was used to balance "live cargo".
Underwater monument to the victims
A document in Mozambique, dated December 22, 1794, described the sale of black people to merchants from the San Jose, leaving no doubt about the purpose of the ship. As a result, on December 27, "San Jose" fell apart on the reefs near the Cape of Good Hope. Of the 400 men and women abducted in Mozambique, about half survived. The wreck's identity was confirmed when divers found shackles and iron ballast.
6. Shipwreck of the Columbus era
In 1503, near Oman, a storm destroyed two Portuguese ships and their crews. One of these ships, the Esmeralda, was found by British archaeologists. A rare find was made - a silver coin called "indio", the existence of which was known, but which had not been found earlier. The initials engraved on the stone cannonballs confirmed that the captain of the ship was Vicente Sodre, the uncle of the famous explorer Vasco da Gama.
One of the most enigmatic finds was a mysterious metal disc with the emblem of the King of Portugal. No one knows what it is, but experts speculate that the disc was part of an unknown navigation device. Esmeralda sank just a decade after Columbus found the New World in 1492.
7. Lahore carpet
Texel Island in Waddensee is a veritable ship graveyard. It was a stopover for ships leaving or bound for Amsterdam. The site was also known for its heavy-duty storms that sunk many ships. In 1642, the Royal English Navy was sailing from Dover to the Netherlands when the weather suddenly turned bad again near Texel Island. One of a dozen ships that sank that day was discovered near the island in 2014. In the hold of the Palm Branch was found something that usually does not survive 400 years in the ocean - a carpet made of wool and silk. It was made in the 17th century in Lahore, which today is located in Pakistan.
Lahore carpet from Waddensee
8. Lady Kerr's dress
In addition to the carpet in the hold of the sunken "Palm Branch", another valuable find was found. Researchers have found a 400-year-old wardrobe belonging to a member of the elite. The cloaks, bodices and stockings, which were kept in near-perfect condition, were adorned with a lot of silver and gold thread. Particular attention was paid to the oversized Japanese damask silk dress.
Thanks to the letter Receiving clothes from the 1600s after being under water for many centuries it was revealed who this dress belonged to. Princess Elizabeth Stuart mentioned in this letter how Queen Henrietta of England lost her luggage, which was supposed to arrive on the ship, and two ladies from her retinue lost their entire wardrobe. Researchers believe that this venerable dress belonged to the oldest lady of the court, 56-year-old Jean Kerr, Countess of Roxburgh.
9. Roman medicines for the eyes
Most of the knowledge about ancient medicine comes from ancient scriptures. In 2004, archaeologists were able to hold a real ancient medicine in their hands. The remains of the Roman ship Relitto del Pozzino were found off the coast of Tuscany in the 1980s. On board were found wooden medicine bottles, surgical hooks and a tin container. An X-ray of the latter revealed that there were five tablets inside the vessel.
The flat gray pills remained dry and intact thanks to the sealed capsule. This made it possible for the first time to make a chemical in-depth analysis of substances that the Romans used in medicine. The composition of the drug included starch, iron oxide, beeswax and pine resin. Scientists have suggested that these were eye drops.
10. Ingots of Atlantis
Near the southern part of Sicily, near the coast of Gela, a ship sank 2,600 years ago. In 2015, marine archaeologists discovered two Corinthian helmets, a vessel and 39 ingots of a mysterious metal known only from Greek mythology and legends about the Atlanteans. Orichalcum has been described as a precious red metal, second only to gold in value. Plato's writings argued that this metal was mined in Atlantis, and it was with it that almost every temple of Poseidon was covered.
In February 2017, at the same place of the shipwreck, another 47 ingots of the ancient alloy were found, which contains up to 80 percent copper, 15-20 percent zinc, as well as small amounts of lead, nickel and iron. However, this does not diminish the mystery that still remains unsolved - the real age and origin of the orichalcum. Nothing is known about the ship that carried the most legendary metal in the world.