Credits: © Boas Notícias
Portugal has always been a country with a vast history regarding navigation. For centuries, fearless navigators crossed stormy seas expanding the Portuguese influence in the four corners of the world. Therefore, it is not surprising that a group of archaeologists found in Cais do Sodre, (somewhere near downtown Lisbon and side beside the river Tagus), remains of a merchant ship and possibly some of the goods that were part of its usual load.
Based on the discovery, archaeologists believe that the boats came up the river beach passing at what is now the Square D. Louis, near the Mercado da Ribeira, to repair the large yard of wood that was found, six feet deep. After months of work, excavations revealed an old wooden structure with about 300m2, "architecturally composed of four levels of beams" that would be deployed on an ancient river beach and remained preserved until today in a state of submersion. Alexander Sarrazola, archaeological project coordinator, said,
"We were faced with what we have already concluded that it was a structure shipyard, ship repair, which would make repairs along the keel or parts of the vessel, while navigating structure, would be submerged"
The definition of the construction period has a range between the XVI and XVII centuries. Already the most recent layers of the structure refer to the eighteenth century.
Traces and evidence of exotic imports, coming from beyond borders, were found. Among them, remains of fauna, soles of shoes, ropes and pottery. Sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, but also kaolin pipes "of Dutch production" and "Ottoman tradition" and a series of "elements of botany, for example, remnants of tropical fruits," lists the coordinator.
There are no record of other structures of its kind in Lisbon but, and this is undoubtedly the largest and best preserved of all, the only shipyard shipbuilding found until today.
Based on the discovery, archaeologists believe that the boats came up the river beach passing at what is now the Square D. Louis, near the Mercado da Ribeira, to repair the large yard of wood that was found, six feet deep. After months of work, excavations revealed an old wooden structure with about 300m2, "architecturally composed of four levels of beams" that would be deployed on an ancient river beach and remained preserved until today in a state of submersion. Alexander Sarrazola, archaeological project coordinator, said,
"We were faced with what we have already concluded that it was a structure shipyard, ship repair, which would make repairs along the keel or parts of the vessel, while navigating structure, would be submerged"
The definition of the construction period has a range between the XVI and XVII centuries. Already the most recent layers of the structure refer to the eighteenth century.
Traces and evidence of exotic imports, coming from beyond borders, were found. Among them, remains of fauna, soles of shoes, ropes and pottery. Sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, but also kaolin pipes "of Dutch production" and "Ottoman tradition" and a series of "elements of botany, for example, remnants of tropical fruits," lists the coordinator.
There are no record of other structures of its kind in Lisbon but, and this is undoubtedly the largest and best preserved of all, the only shipyard shipbuilding found until today.
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