The battered remnants of a 700-year-old ship were discovered by construction workers under the streets of Tallinn, the capital of Estonia.
A view of the medieval ship, from the bow, in the excavation pit. (Image credit: Priit Lätti)
The ship's remains, which are made of oak and about 78 feet (24 meters) long with a beam, the ship's widest point, measuring around 29 feet (9 meters), are buried about 5 feet (1.5 meters) below earth.
According to Priit Lätti, a researcher at the Estonian Maritime Museum, "the original length of the ship was bigger, since the stempost [the vertical timber at the bow] is missing and the bow of the ship is damaged." Dendrochronological investigation, which looks at the tree rings found in the ship's wooden remnants, revealed that "the ship was probably built at the beginning of the 14th century," he said. According to him, the ship appears to be extremely similar to other ships from the same era discovered in Europe.
The ship was discovered three weeks ago close to Tallinn's Old Harbor by archaeologist Mihkel Tammet, who had been studying a building site. Lätti asserts that an archaeologist must be present during excavations in places that are subject to heritage protection. The Estonian Maritime Museum was informed of the ship's discovery and asked to assist in collecting data and documenting the find.
Lätti revealed to Live Science that the ship was filled with sand and that it was not sunk very deeply. Given that several sand layers could be seen, he concluded that the sea most likely progressively filled the boat over the years.
Since the ship's discovery, rumors have circulated that it may be a Hanseatic cog, a freight ship employed in trade by the Hanseatic League. The league, a confederation of European trade guilds, ruled the seas between the 13th and the 15th century. Lätti asserted that it is still too early in the excavation procedure to be able to pinpoint the ship's origins.
The ship's sternpost (Image credit: Priit Lätti)
“It's most likely a cargo ship”, he said. “It is difficult to determine the origin of the vessel because we do not yet know the origin of the timbers (the dendrochronological tests are preliminary, therefore I do not want to reveal exact dates or early hypotheses about the origin of the timber).”
Additionally, scientists are attempting to ascertain whether any items discovered buried with the ship can be helpful in figuring out the boat's age.To provide more precise answers, Lätti said that additional analyses had been performed in addition to the artifacts that were discovered aboard. Currently, only the ship's bow is being excavated; the cargo hold was largely empty. The excavations are now moving to the ship's aft region, which might include more discoveries.
So far, the ship has also turned up a few wooden barrels, pottery, animal bones, a few leather items, and textiles. As the aft portion of the ship is excavated, further discoveries are anticipated in the upcoming days.
The fact that the ship was found in such good shape will aid historians and archaeologists in their quest to understand shipbuilding, trading, and life aboard these vessels during the Middle Ages.
Finding something like this, according to Lätti, an expert on harbors and shipwrecks, is "an archaeological jackpot" for Tallinn as an old trading port. "Maritime trade played a significant role in the growth of Tallinn, and while we know a lot about the traders and the goods they traded, we still know very little about the ships they used."
The ship's cargo hold in the excavation pit (Image credit: Priit Lätti)
Similar ships to this one have been found before. For instance, the Bremen cog was discovered in Germany in 1962, while the Estonian Maritime Museum today houses a medieval freight ship that was discovered in Tallinn in 2015.
After it has been unearthed, there is still debate about what will happen to this ship. However, the objective is to take it out of the building site where it was discovered, put it in a secure location, and preserve it. This is what Lätti called a "huge task."
"The methods of transporting, preserving, and conserving the ship are still being discussed," he said, "because it is a very complex operation, and we are dealing with a very valuable archaeological object."
