Abandoned Medieval Boat Discovered in Barcelona – History Blog

The remains of a 500-year-old ship were excavated in the heart of Barcelona. Its architectural style is called skeleton structures, dating back to the 15th or 16th century. Despite Barcelona’s long history of maritime trade, this is just the second archaeological ship ever made in the city.

After finding Ciutadella I near Ciutadella Park in Barcelona, ​​it was found 18 feet below the soil surface. The location is scheduled to be a public parking lot since 1996, but was previously the city’s fish market (1947-1983) and was a beachfront hundreds of years ago. Ciutadella I is an abandoned ship, meaning it is close to the shore or intentionally abandoned, and over time it gradually becomes covered with sediment.

In this case, the fragments are 10 meters [33 feet] Long and more than 3 meters [10 feet] Wide, a structure formed by about thirty frames – the curved wooden debris that form the outer skeleton – at least seven wooden board platforms covering a row of boards on the exterior of the ship. The board is nailed to the frame with round wooden dowels, a wooden nail that adds debris. Two longitudinal works that are fixed with iron nails – palms or jagged teeth. The system, known as skeletal structure, was common in the medieval Mediterranean and spread throughout Europe since the mid-15th century.

The discovery is part of the historical context of Barcelona’s seafront transformation. Starting from 1439, with the construction of the first man-made marina, the dynamics of the coastline changed, and the sandbar was called Tasca, which protected the city for hundreds of years and disappeared. The combination of coastal drift, bass and stormy mouths leads the beach to move forward rapidly, covering the former oceanic areas.

Traditionally, Barcelona was founded as a colony of Carthage, but there is little archaeological evidence to support this. It attracted attention in the late Roman Empire, which was an important capital of Visigos after the invasion of the 5th century. Franks, who sent the Carlos, wrestled from Moorish control in 801 AD and appointed a Barcelona charge who ruled the growing territory, had little intervention before and after the city was fired by the Umayyad Caliphate troops of Córdoba in 985.

The Kingdom of Catalonia and Aragon were unified by marriage in 1137, which led Barcelona to become one of the most important trading cities in the Mediterranean. Even technically, it enjoys unique autonomy in commercial efforts, even under the crown of Aragon. It was granted the right to arbitrate its own commercial disputes in 1258 without intervention, and the codification of its maritime customs at the Catalan Marine Marine Consulate in the 15th century would become a model for maritime legislation throughout the Mediterranean and the Near East.

The first marina in Barcelona was built in 1477. By this time, the city was the center of handicrafts and manufacturing and the center of maritime trade. It exports goods to all over Europe and the Mediterranean region, including raw skins, olive oil, the highest quality saffron and finished textiles such as silk, wool, linen and lace.

The remains of the ship are in a highly delicate and time-sensitive state. Now that it has been exposed to the air and is no longer protected by flooded soil, the wood is at risk of rapid decay, so archaeologists have covered its parts in sand in detail using photogrammetry, and thousands of high-resolution photos can be stitched together to create precise 3D models.

After the field investigation is completed, the wood will be removed at one time and transferred to a special water tank for desalination. They will then be soaked in polyethylene glycol, a preservation method that replaces the water in the wood with a waxy substance, which prevents it from shrinking, drying and cracking, even once open.