Archaeologists recently discovered the wreck of a large medieval cargo ship on the seafloor off the Danish coast, providing new insights into medieval trade and maritime life. The shipwreck, dubbed Svaelget 2, was found during a seabed survey in preparation for a construction project in Copenhagen, Denmark.
The vessel, a cog-type merchant ship, lay on its side, half-buried in the sand, 12 meters below the surface of the Øresund, the strait between Denmark and Sweden. Dendrochronological analysis, comparing tree rings from the wreck's wooden planks with dated samples, indicated the ship was built around 1410 CE. Cogs were wide, flat-bottomed ships with high sides, open cargo holds, and a square sail.
The discovery offers a rare glimpse into the scale of maritime commerce during the medieval period. The size of Svaelget 2 suggests a significant capacity for transporting goods across the Baltic Sea and beyond. Further investigation of the wreck and its contents could reveal details about the types of goods traded, the routes used, and the lives of the sailors who crewed these vessels. The find underscores the importance of underwater archaeology in understanding past societies and economies.
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