Watch: 750-Year-Old Medieval Shipwreck Found Off The England Coast

A medieval shipwreck, the “Mortar Wreck,” was unearthed off the southern coast of England. Scientists could test the ship’s timbers and determine that the vessel dates back to the 13th century.

The 750-year-old site is reportedly the oldest wreck known so far, in which the ship’s hull is visible. Per Tom Cousins, maritime archaeologist of Bournemouth University, some of the artifacts in the wreck are immaculate, as if they were carved just yesterday.

It last saw land when King Henry III was in power.

The “Mortar Wreck” derived the name from grinding bowls, also known as mortars, found in its hull. Tom Cousins explained what else the team could see in the wreck.

Video Credits: Bournemouth uni / YouTube

He referred to a cauldron and said that it was perhaps used for their daily postage, to make a soup with bits of fish and meats. The comparatively smaller one would’ve had a relatively long handle, and one could put an end to the fire, hot water following a cold night. He had once seen an image of one of these on a medieval manuscript where they were cooking on a whale’s back.
But Cousins had to say that the “most spectacular” discoveries were the gray slabs with two kinds of designs.

The Mortar Wreck was discovered off Dorset in the Poole Bay of southern England. The area was given legal protection to preserve the site. Archaeologists desire to raise funds to continue exploration and learn about the piece of history on the sea bed.

References: ARTnews, PetaPixel

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