Pieces of wreckage from Vasco da Gama's ship Esmeralda, which sunk during a violent storm in the Indian Ocean at the beginning of the 16th century, has been found by archaeologists. Explorers came upon the wreck off the coast of Oman, reports the Associated Press.
According to information, the discovered wreck was one of the two ships that sunk during the famous Portuguese explorer's second expedition to India. Esmeralda's captain was Vasco da Gama's uncle - Vicente Sodré.
After an entire 3 years of research, experts finally announced that they had found not only the location where the Esmeralda was lost but also an entire hoard of prized artifacts. Among the discovered finds was an astrolabe and several unique coins.
One of the leaders of the research team, David Mearns, states that the age of the ship is in fact the gem in the crown of this find, explaining that the vessel was from a very early period. It was during that same period that several European countries were trying to find a route to the East.
The wreckage of the Esmeralda is not the only big discovery that archaeologists have come upon lately. Reports go that experts have unearthed the remains of a church that was most likely built in 1470.
The sanctuary was found during research on the territory of the nation of Cabo Verde. There's a very real possibility of this find being the oldest European building in the tropics, reports the website Artprice.
During archaeological digs done under the leadership of Christopher Evans and Mary Seranson, they found the foundation of the church Nossa Senhora de Conceicao, 39.5 ft (12 m) long. According to the information, the sanctuary was erected of a type of stone typical of the land.
It appears that later, at the beginning of the 16th century, the old church was replaced with a more impressive one. Among the studies of its remains, scientists have found ceramic tiles and different colored tiles from Lisbon, as well as other fascinating objects. There were about a thousand people also buried at the site, archaeologists claiming some of them were Europeans.
