[Archport] Scientists study 16th-century shipwreck in Namibia

["Alexandre Monteiro" <no.arame@gmail.com>]

Scientists study 16th-century shipwreck in Namibia

ORANJEMUND, NAMIBIA Sep 22 2008 16:33

A treasure-laden 16th-century Portuguese vessel that ran aground off
Namibia's Atlantic coast was hailed on Monday by archaeologists as providing
a rare insight into the heyday of seafaring explorations between Europe and
the Orient.



"This is a cultural treasure of immense importance," Bruno Werz told
Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) when offering journalists a first glimpse of
the precious find at the excavation site in Namibia's diamond-rich
"sperrgebiet", or no-go zone.



The shipwreck, which was discovered by geologists dredging the seabed for
diamonds in April and was covered in sand on Monday for preservation
purposes, is believed to be the oldest yet found in sub-Saharan Africa.



Werz is leading a team of archaeologists and geologists from Namibia, the
United States, Portugal, South Africa and Zimbabwe in excavating the ship.



Speculation had been rife that the vessel could be linked to Portuguese
explorer Bartholomew Diaz, the first European to round the Cape of Good Hope
in the year 1488.



But that theory was put to bed by the archaeologists, who revealed that some
of the about 2 000 gold coins discovered at the site were dated October
1525, 25 years after Diaz disappeared.



A Portuguese archaeologist described the wreck as the best-preserved example
of Portuguese seafaring efforts found outside Portugal. He attributed its
good condition to its long burial in sand, which preserves wood.



Apart from the gold, the ship's rich bounty includes 1,4kg of silver coins,
copper ingots, cannons and navigational instruments.



A trident indented on the ingots shows them to have been supplied by German
merchant house Jakob Fugger -- a known supplier of ingots to the Portuguese
crown in the era of the Habsburg dynasty.



The shipwreck is located near Oranjemund, about 160km south of the town of
Luderitz, site of a small diamond mine.



With state diamond mining company Namdeb spending vast amounts of money on
keeping the sea at bay while the excavations are taking place, pressure is
on the team to wrap up the work by early October.


The coins, which are now the property of the Namibian government, have
already been spirited away for safe-keeping. The wood is destined in the
short-term for the US, where it will be preserved. -- Sapa-dpa

Source: Mail & Guardian Online

Web Address:


http://www.mg.co.za/article/2008-09-22-scientists-study-16thcentury-shipwrec
k-in-namibia