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A 400-year-old sinking discovered off the coast of Portugal has been hailed as a "significant" archaeological discovery.
The Cascais City Council, a seaside town near Lisbon, said on Monday that the Portuguese ship was involved in the highly lucrative spice trade between Portugal and India. Peppercorns, cowrie shells, and bronze artillery pieces litter the site of the wreckage. The guns present the Portuguese national coat of arms.
Experts say this sinking dates from the end of 16e early century 17e century. The site, located 39 feet below the surface of the water, covers an estimated area of 328 feet by 164 feet.
SITE OF 1503 SHIPWRECK AT VASCO DA GAMA FIND OMAN
Cascais Mayor Carlos Carreiras has described the wreck as one of the most important archaeological discoveries in Portugal over the last decade, according to Sky News, citing the Portuguese newspaper Publico.
The sinking was hailed as an important discovery. (Camara Municipal de Cascais)
In addition to the city of Cascais, the new University of Lisbon and the Portuguese Navy also participated in the project.
Authorities said in a statement that the wreckage was found last month during dredging at the mouth of the Tagus on the Atlantic coast of Portugal.
THE 500 YEAR VESSEL CHARMING GOLD IN THE NAMIBIAN DESERT
Preliminary excavations have also uncovered porcelain dating from the time of Emperor Wanli in China in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth century.
The wreck is located in an area known as the Underwater Archaeological Map of the Municipality of Cascais (PROCASC) which contains a multitude of wrecks of ships dating back to Roman times.
The sinking goes back to a time when Portugal was the center of an extensive commercial and colonial network that connected Europe, Africa, Asia and South America.
In 2016, archaeologists said they discovered the 500-year-old wreck of the Portuguese ship off Oman. The ship Esmeralda was flown by an uncle of the explorer Vasco da Gama.
Also in 2016, diamond miners in Namibia found the remains of a Portuguese ship loaded with gold that had disappeared 500 years ago en route to India.
Walt Bonner and The Associated Press contributed to this article.
Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers
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