2016-05-20 Fri

On 15th March, a 1503 Portuguese ship 'Esmeralda’, led by Vasco da Gama was discovered on the coast of Al Hallaniyah, Oman. Researchers state that this ship belongs to the times when Europe was trying hard to find sea routes to India. Advanced technology was used to uncover the mysteries hidden behind these archaeological finds.

It is believed that da Gama's uncle, Vincente Sodré captained this ship. Esmeralda was one of the five ships that he abandoned on the southwest coast of India, on his way back after discovering a sea-route route to India. These ships sailed westwards to loot Arab ships. In May 1503, the ship sank after it was caught in a giant storm, pushing it 28 miles off the coast.

After a lot of research the location of the shipwreck was identified in 1998 and the team successfully discovered the site in 2016. Over 2,500 artefacts including cannonballs and hundreds of lead shots were found. Twelve gold Portuguese 'cruzado' coins in Mint condition, dated 1477-1521 were also discovered.

An extremely rare silver coin known as an 'índio' was another important find. These coins, minted by King Dom Manuel I, were particularly used for trade with India. Since the coins are extremely rare, they are often termed as 'ghost coin of Dom Manuel'. Only one more indio coin has been discovered till date which is currently showcased at the National Historical Museum of Brazil, Rio de Janeiro.