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When ancient ships are unearthed, what typically remains are fragments of wood. Centuries submerged beneath the sea decompose organic material, erasing any trace of cargo and passengers over time. Occasionally, the frigid depths serve as a preserved grave, safeguarding relics from ages long past. These finds range from royal attire to sailors' favorite snacks, even confirming long-standing rumors. Lost tales of disaster and commerce resurface, revealing rare and mysterious treasures.
10. The Cargo of The Mentor
A dispute over 'sticky fingers' continues between Greece and Britain. In 1801, Lord Elgin packed 16 crates with marble sculptures he took from the Parthenon. The following year, the British vessel Mentor set sail for London with the prized collection (or, depending on perspective, rightful artifacts) and Lord Elgin aboard. Off the coast of Kythera, the ship was wrecked by a storm.
Soon after, the crates were retrieved, and their contents were showcased at the British Museum in London. The 17 sculptures and 56 panels that once adorned the Parthenon remain at the center of a heated dispute over ownership between Greece and Britain.
In more recent times, archaeologists revisited the 200-year-old wreck to investigate whether more artifacts were present. They hoped to uncover additional Parthenon marbles that might have been left behind, but the mission also aimed to verify a rumor that Lord Elgin had taken other Greek treasures. The two-week expedition confirmed the rumor. Divers recovered a stone vessel and handles of ancient Rhodian amphoras, some with stamps, dating back to the third century B.C.
9. Something Like Cheese
While preparing for battle in 1676, the royal warship Kronan accidentally sank. The Swedish ship veered too sharply and tilted enough for water to rush through the gun ports. The flooding was severe, but the situation worsened when gunpowder ignited, causing an explosion that claimed the lives of 800 people in the Baltic Sea. After the wreck was rediscovered in 1980, over 20,000 artifacts were recovered, including brain tissue belonging to the lost sailors.
In 2016, Swedish scientists discovered a black tin jar resting on the ocean floor. Inside, they found a thick, pungent substance that smelled of cheese and yeast. Though further analysis is required to determine its exact nature, researchers strongly suspect it is a dairy product. Given its resemblance to Roquefort, a granular blue cheese, it's likely the cheese that mice might enjoy. The cold mud of the Baltic Sea and the sealed jar have preserved the contents remarkably well. If it turns out to be a 340-year-old cheese, it could provide valuable insight into life aboard a 17th-century Swedish warship.
8. The Encarnación's Gifts
Archaeologists were in pursuit of pirate Captain Henry Morgan’s elusive fleet when they stumbled upon the Encarnación. While it wasn't loaded with treasure or famous, it was still an extraordinary find. In 2011, while searching for the five pirate ships lost in a storm, metal was detected near the Chagres River in Panama. The location seemed perfect for Morgan's vessels. Upon diving to investigate, they found a merchant ship instead. What made this discovery so valuable was that it dated back to the 17th century, a period with scarce information about Spanish ships.
What stood out most about the Encarnación was its cargo holds, which were full. While time and shipworms typically take their toll, and looters often seize treasures, these boxes of swords, nails, and metal seals remained untouched despite sitting just 32 feet (10 meters) below the surface. The cargo offers a glimpse into a time when Spanish colonies thrived and required more supplies. The well-preserved state of the ship is shedding light on how colony ships were constructed, including the use of granel. Granel, a permanent ballast mixture of sand, rocks, and lime, could help determine whether it originated in the Old or New World.
7. The Arab Dhow
Nearly two decades ago, divers searching for sea cucumbers between the Indonesian islands of Bangka and Belitung discovered ceramics embedded in coral. This turned out to be Southeast Asia’s largest underwater archaeological find. Nearby, they found the wreck of a ninth-century Arab dhow. It was the first of its kind in these waters—and the richest. The dhow carried an immense cargo of over 60,000 handcrafted items from China. Hundreds of ink pots, jars, and identical Changsha tea bowls indicated that Tang dynasty China, much like today, mass-produced goods for export.
Some of the Changsha artifacts were in pristine condition, a discovery never before made. These goods were likely tailored for a large market, possibly made to order. The decorations featured designs inspired by both Buddhism and Islam. The cargo also included white and green pottery, which was highly coveted in Iran. Among the treasures was the largest Tang gold cup ever recorded. A silver artifact may offer clues about some of the goods' intended purpose; the flask is adorned with two mandarin ducks, symbolizing a harmonious marriage. Other decorative boxes feature paired animals, possibly crafted as wedding gifts.
6. The Story of the São José
Numerous slave ships once plied the oceans, yet locating their wrecks remains an unexpectedly challenging task. In 2010, the Smithsonian followed a lead that suggested one such wreck could be found off the coast of South Africa. A compelling paper trail guided researchers to the only known slave ship wreck where slaves perished at sea.
Portugal's archives recorded the departure of the São José from Lisbon in April 1794, carrying 1,500 blocks of iron ballast. Ballast was crucial for counterbalancing the weight of living cargo. A document from Mozambique, dated December 22, 1794, confirmed the sale of a black man to the São José, leaving no ambiguity about the ship's grim purpose.
A chilling final record from South African archives detailed the Captain's account of his ship's tragic end. On December 27, the São José broke apart on reefs near the Cape of Good Hope. Of the 400 men and women kidnapped in Mozambique, only about half survived, along with the crew. The wreck's identity was confirmed when divers discovered shackles and iron ballast.
5. The Columbus-Era Shipwreck
In 1503, off the coast of Oman, a storm destroyed two ships along with their crews. One of these vessels, the Esmerelda, captivated British archaeologists when it was discovered. The shallow waters ensured the complete breakdown of the Portuguese ship, but thousands of artifacts are scattered across the bay's sands. Among the rarest finds is a silver coin known as an indio, with only one other example ever discovered. Initials engraved on stone cannonballs revealed that the ship's captain was Vicente Sodre, the uncle of the famed explorer Vasco da Gama.
A mysterious metal disc was recovered, featuring the emblem of Portugal's King and the national coat of arms. It was expertly crafted and appeared to hold great significance, but its exact purpose remains unknown. Experts speculate it could be part of an undiscovered navigational device. While the Esmerelda yielded rare and unique artifacts, its true importance lies in its age. This ship is one of the earliest discovered from the period when Europe began charting maritime routes to Asia. The Esmerelda sank just a decade after Columbus's momentous discovery of the New World in 1492.
4. The Lahore Carpet
Texel Island, located in the Wadden Sea, has earned a reputation as a shipwreck hotspot. It was a major stop for vessels traveling to or from Amsterdam, though storms in the area often pulled many ships to the ocean floor. In 1642, the Royal English fleet was on its journey from Dover to the Netherlands when a fierce storm struck near Texel Island.
One of the many ships lost that fateful day was discovered near the island in 2014. Known as the Palmwood Wreck, this vessel held a remarkable find—a fragile carpet woven from wool and silk, a rarity to survive 400 years submerged in the ocean. The preservation was thanks to the sand that enveloped the wreck. Though the carpet was in fragments, the intricate floral and animal motifs remained clearly visible. Art historians examined its colors, patterns, and weaving techniques to trace its origins. They determined it was created in Lahore, now part of Pakistan, during the 17th century.
3. Atlantis Ingots
Off the coast of southern Sicily, near Gela, a ship sank approximately 2,600 years ago. In 2015, marine archaeologists uncovered two Corinthian helmets, a jar, and several lumps of an enigmatic metal, previously known only from Greek myths and legends of Atlantis. Orichalcum, described as a precious red metal second in value only to gold, was said to have been mined in the mythical city of Atlantis. Plato's accounts even claimed that it covered every surface of Poseidon's grand temple.
In February 2017, further excavations of the same wreck revealed 47 more ingots of orichalcum, adding to the 39 bars found in 2015. While the discovery of this metal alloy is extraordinary, it turns out that orichalcum is not quite as valuable as once thought. The alloy consists primarily of copper (up to 80%), with smaller portions of zinc (15-20%), lead, nickel, and iron. Despite its composition, the mystery of orichalcum's true origins and age remains unsolved.
Very little is known about the ship that brought the legendary metal back into the world’s knowledge. It is believed to have originated in Greece or Asia Minor. Scholars are confident that the final destination was the wealthy city of Gela, where the ingots were most likely intended for the workshops that produced highly sought-after ornamental items.
2. Roman Eye Medicine
While much of what we know about ancient medicine comes from texts, in 2004 archaeologists had the rare opportunity to handle actual artifacts. The wreck of the Roman ship, Relitto del Pozzino, was discovered off the coast of Tuscany in the 1980s, but it wasn’t until later that the ship’s treasure was revealed—where a doctor’s chest had once rested on the ocean floor.
Although the chest was lost, other items remained, including wooden drug vials, a mortar, a surgery hook, and tin containers. When x-rayed, one of the tins was found to contain five round tablets. These flat, gray pills had been preserved in the sealed container, keeping them dry and intact. This enabled a detailed chemical analysis to uncover what the Romans used in medicine and, potentially, the condition the tablets were designed to treat. The mixture included starch, iron oxide, beeswax, and pine resin, leading scientists to hypothesize they might have been an early form of eyewash or remedy. The Latin word for eyewash, 'collyrium,' comes from the Greek word for 'small round loaves,' which coincidentally matches the shape of the pills.
1. Lady Kerr’s Dress
The Palmwood Wreck not only yielded a rare carpet, but also an extraordinary maritime discovery for the Netherlands. Researchers were thrilled to unearth a 400-year-old wardrobe once belonging to a woman of high status. Among the remarkable finds were cloaks, bodices, and stockings, all in pristine condition and richly decorated with silver and gold thread. The most remarkable piece was a plus-sized gown crafted from exquisite Japanese damask silk. Recovering clothing from the 1600s after it had spent centuries underwater was a rare feat, but uncovering the identity of the owner would be even more impressive.
Through diligent detective work, the owner was identified as a middle-aged spy in the court of James I. Although there were no tags to identify the garments—each tailored for a fuller-figured woman—a letter from 1642 gave historians the clue they needed. The letter, written by Princess Elizabeth Stuart, mentioned that Queen Henrietta of England had lost her baggage ships, and with them, the wardrobes of her two ladies-in-waiting. The gown’s matronly style matched the age of 56-year-old Jean Kerr, Countess of Roxburghe, who had been an informant for Spain.
