| UPDATED: 19:09, Thu, Jan 28, 2021
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The Portuguese ship filled with gold coins was found by miners in the African country, with the treasure estimated to be worth around £9million. Researchers were able to verify the ship s identity – a vessel named Bom Jesus It set sail from Lisbon in 1533 and disappeared with its entire crew on board near the Namibian diamond mining town of Oranjemund. The ship was on its way to India before its disappearance. It was eventually found almost 500 years later in 2008.
Landmark Study Reveals Elephant Tusk Origins Of 16th Century Shipwreck
In 1533, a famous Portuguese trading vessel called the Bom Jesus went missing on its way to India. It sank off the coast of present-day Namibia while it was filled with more than 40 tons of precious cargo, including gold, silver, copper, and more than 100 elephant tusks. Scientists have traced the origins of much of the ivory that was recovered from the shipwreck, revealing more about the ancient ivory trade and African elephants of the past and present.
The Treasures of the Bom Jesus Shipwreck
The Bom Jesus shipwreck was found in 2008. It is the “oldest known shipwreck in southern Africa” according to CELL. It is also known as the ‘Diamond Shipwreck’ because its location is near diamond mines. The shipwreck has provided a wealth of archaeological treasures.
A hoard of more than 100 elephant tusks aboard a sunken ship that was lost for nearly 500 years has been traced to West Africa in a new study.
Scientists used DNA analysis to compare the well-preserved tusks – recovered from a 16th century Portuguese shipping vessel called the Bom Jesus that was discovered in 2008 – to those belonging to various species of modern-day elephants.
The 500-year-old ivory matched up with the African forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis), which is native to humid forests in West Africa and Congo Basin.
Traders aboard the ill-fated shipping vessel would have maimed the species on the West coast of Africa in their attempts to flog the creatures ivory in India – before the ship sank and the traders perished at sea.
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