インドとポルトガルの海洋学者の合同調査

1988年にゴア近海から沈没船が発見されていますが、今回、そこから２ｋｍと離れていない地点から蒸気船が発見されました。古い鉄砲やアフリカやヨーロッパなどの交易品があり、歴史資料などと照らし合わせどの沈没船か探す作業が行われています。

また、他の沈没船も探すために地域を探査することが決まっています。ポルトガルの船も多数あるため、南アフリカのチームやポルトガルの文献資料の整理も進められています。さて、1988年に発見された沈没船ですが、17世紀のものと考えられており、象牙、中国陶器、かまどや鉄砲など発見されています。残念ながらそれほど調査は進んでおらず船体の確認は行われていません。

SOS Lisbon for shipwreck hunt

Reshma Patil

Mumbai, February 16, 2007

Off Goa’s coast, marine archaeologists are diving to explore the remains of an ancient steam engine shipwreck near Marmagao, about two km away from the oldest shipwreck found here in 1988. They suspect it will take three years to piece together the story of the new find from evidence like furnace bricks probably used to cook on board. But they could even find ivory and ancient guns.

At the same time in Lisbon, Portuguese archival authorities are scanning documents of maritime trade between the two nations to pass on tips to the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) in Goa, to help locate an estimated 40-odd ancient shipwrecks along the Goa to Karnataka coast. This year the search will also extend around Orissa and Andhra Pradesh.

“In the coming days, we will conduct explorations of shipwrecks around Goa waters,” NIO maritime archaeologist Sila Tripati told HT. “We have also requested Portuguese scholars in Lisbon and South Africa for data to help us explore shipwrecks at the Orissa and Andhra coast too.”

On February 10, Tripati and Ian Godfrey from the Western Australian Museum published results in Current Science on the 1988 find of a Portuguese cargo vessel that sank in the 17th century near Marmagao. They based their findings on eight soft, decaying elephant tusks and nine hippo canines from the wreck.

Nothing remained of the ship’s body or documents, so scientists depended on the haul of two-metre-long guns, Chinese ceramics and bricks for clues. “The tusks and teeth are evidence of historic maritime trade between Goa, Portugal and Africa,” the duo reported.

“Radiocarbon dating conducted in Lucknow indicates the ivory is 360-400 years old,” said Tripati. While the 1988 wreck remains mysterious, marine archaeologists from Australia, South Africa to the US are in touch with NIO to know more about what lies on Goa’s seabed.

Email Reshma Patil: reshma.patil@hindustantimes.com

引用元：http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1930349,000600010004.htm