| Geologists from Namdeb, the joint venture diamond mining company between De Beers and the Government of the Republic of Namibia, have uncovered what may be the oldest sub-Saharan shipwreck ever discovered. If the experts’ assessments are correct, the shipwreck could date back to the late 1400s or early 1500s, making it a discovery of global significance. Namdeb searches for diamonds along the south-western coast of Namibia, what has for the last 100 years been known as the “Sperrgebiet” or “Forbidden” zone, due to the diamonds which have, over hundreds of millions of years, been deposited on her beaches. The search requires Namdeb to literally push back the powerful Atlantic Ocean by building of massive sea walls. In April, Bob Burrell, the head of Namdeb’s Mineral Resource Department, found some rounded copper ingots and the remains of three bronze cannons. All mining operations were halted, the site secured and Dr Dieter Noli, an archaeologist and expert in the Sperrgebiet, was brought into the project and identified the cannons as Spanish Breach – loaders of a type popular in the early 1500s. The discovery was made inside Namdeb’s Mining Area 1, which is only accessible with permits issued jointly by the Ministry of Mines and Energy and the Government’s Protective Resources Unit. This protective zone ensures that the wreck is secure, allowing it to be thoroughly researched. Archaeologists, in conjunction with the National Heritage Council, are keeping an independent inventory of the content, and Namdeb has provided temporary secure storage for the artefacts. After securing the appropriate permit from the National Heritage Council of Namibia, and with the support of Dr Bruno Werz, of the southern Africa institute of maritime archaeological research, the team continued to uncover the hidden treasure. The site yielded a wealth of objects including six bronze cannons, several tons of copper, more than 50 elephant tusks, pewter tableware, navigational instruments, weapons and thousands of Spanish and Portuguese gold coins, minted in the late 1400s and early 1500s. If this proves to be a contemporary of the ships sailed by the likes of Diaz, Da Gama and Columbus, it would be of immense national and international interest and Namibia’s most important archaeological find of the century. |