In 1995, divers exploring the seabed in the south of England discovered more than 400 gold coins sparkling in the sand, 18 meters deep. Gold jewelry, pure gold ingot, strange fish-shaped probe lead surround this wreck. For thirty years, no one knew where all this gold came from, now on display at the British Museum in London.
Three decades of investigations have solved this mystery: the ship has just been identified as the Dom van Keulena Dutch merchant ship that sank in 1633 during an autumn crossing from Morocco to the Netherlands, explains Popular Mechanics.
The pieces therefore come from the Moroccan coasts. As for the other finds, they have provided valuable clues about life on board ships at the time: resin-coated pills, beans, pottery and even a stamp are part of the treasure brought to the surface.
Two seemingly innocuous objects turned this treasure hunt upside down: a pewter bowl and spoon. The analyzes revealed their Dutch origin, considerably narrowing the investigators’ research. This clue, combined with archival documents, helped solve the mystery: the ship was trapped in a storm before sinking near the English coast.
Trading Empire
The crew was able to escape, leaving much of the cargo to sink to the bottom of the water. “Among the goods were 150 bags of gum arabic, 64 bags of saltpeter, 320 goat skins and 9,000 ducatsdetails Dave Parham, professor of maritime archeology at Bournemouth University. More than 400 pieces remained at the bottom of the water until their discovery in 1995.
THE Dom van Keulen was part of an active trading network where Dutch merchants exchanged manufactured goods for West African gold. This gold was remelted to mint Dutch coins, one of the most used currencies on the seas at that time.
The discovery also sheds new light on the African gold trade and the flourishing maritime trade of the 17th century linking Morocco, the Netherlands and Great Britain. Little is known about the ship itself. No painting represents it, and its dimensions can only be estimated from the imprint left by the wreck.
“The discovery of this African gold off the coast of Devon raised so many questions about how it got thereconfides Jeremy Hill, director of research at the British Museum. Responding to it mobilized a team of experts working together. This discovery is of international importance. It reminds us how much there is still to be found under our seas.”
