In 2003, the Skaftö wreck was found at the bottom of the sea off Lysekil, north of Gothenburg. The freight consisted of copper, oak wood, quicklime, tar, bricks, and roofing tiles. Previously, the Bohusläns museum gathered cargo samples from the ship throughout underwater historical investigations. Its just now that analyses of its freight have been possible using modern-day analysis approaches.
We likewise know that copper produced in Central Europe was delivered on from there to numerous Mediterranean ports, consisting of Venice.”
Excavation of the Skaftö wreck in 2009. Credit: Staffan von Arbin, Bohusläns museum
The Skaftö wreck was discovered at the bottom of the sea at Lysekil, north of Gothenburg, in 2003. Nevertheless, scientists have only just recently had the ability to carry out examinations of its cargo utilizing brand-new, modern methodologies.
An international research study team led by marine archaeologist Staffan von Arbin of the University of Gothenburg has actually been successful in tracing the freights origins and likely route of the ship. The research study contributes to our understanding of the items sold the Middle Ages and the trade paths that existed at the time.
The cargo consisted of copper, oak wood, quicklime, tar, bricks, and roofing tiles. Previously, the Bohusläns museum gathered cargo samples from the ship during underwater archaeological examinations. But its just now that analyses of its freight have actually been possible using modern analysis techniques.
Tobias Skowronek, German Mining Museum, in the process of sampling a copper ingot from the Skaftö wreck. Credit: Staffan von Arbin, University of Gothenburg
From Gotland in Sweden
With these analyses, the researchers have been able to establish that the copper was mined in two areas in what is presently Slovakia, for example. The analyses likewise reveal that the bricks, lumber, and most likely likewise the tar originated in Poland, while the quicklime is obviously from Gotland.
According to middle ages sources, copper was carried from the Slovakian mining districts in the Carpathian Mountains by means of river systems to the seaside town of Gdańsk (Danzig) in Poland. In the Middle Ages, Gdańsk was also the dominant port for exporting Polish oak lumber.
” It is for that reason most likely that it was in Gdańsk that the ship took on its cargo prior to it continued what would be its final trip.”
Heading for Belgium
The structure of the freight shows that the ship was on its method to a western European port when, for unidentified factors, it foundered in the Bohuslän island chain. Here, too, the research study team has drawn conclusions from historical sources.
” We believe that the ships final destination was Bruges in Belgium. In the 15th century, this city was a significant trading hub. We likewise know that copper produced in Central Europe was shipped on from there to different Mediterranean ports, including Venice.”
The study presents recent investigations of the composition of the freight. These results were then compared with other sources from the exact same period, historical along with historical.
Referral: “Tracing Trade Routes: Examining the Cargo of the 15th-Century Skaftö Wreck” by Staffan von Arbin, Tobias Skowronek, Aoife Daly, Torbjörn Brorsson, Sven Isaksson and Torben Seir, 18 August 2022, The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology.DOI: 10.1080/ 10572414.2022.2076518.
In 2003, the Skaftö wreck was discovered at the bottom of the sea off Lysekil, north of Gothenburg. The picture shows the Copper ingots. Credit: Jens Lindström/ Bohusläns museum
The freight of the Skaftö wreck reveals the story of 15th-century trade routes.
According to recent research study from the University of Gothenburg, the Skaftö wreck got goods at Gdańsk, Poland, and was traveling towards Belgium when it sank in the Lysekil archipelago around 1440. Modern cargo analysis tools are now exposing entirely new answers on how trade was managed throughout the Middle Ages.
” The analyses we have actually performed give us a really detailed image of the ships last journey and also inform us about the geographical origins of its freight. Much of this is totally new understanding for us,” states Staffan von Arbin, a maritime archaeologist.
It was formerly unidentified, for example, that calcium oxide (CaO), typically known as quicklime or charred lime, was exported from Gotland in the 15th century.
