Azernews.Az

Ulviyya Poladova

Read more

Archaeologists say that gold jewelry discovered on a Byzantine-era shipwreck off Croatia’s southern coast is providing new insights into the history of the period, AzerNEWS reports, citing Reuters.

According to the information, researchers believe the artifacts indicate that the ship was carrying wealthy passengers and their companions rather than serving as an ordinary merchant vessel. After years of underwater investigations, archaeologists announced that the ship sank in the 7th century, and the items found at the site suggest it had a significant historical importance.

Among the discoveries are gold coins from the Heraclian dynasty, which ruled through four Byzantine emperors, as well as bracelets decorated with rubies, emeralds, and pearls. Archaeologists also found a gold ring featuring an image of an emperor.

A team of divers and researchers has spent the past decade studying the remains of the ship, which were discovered near Croatia’s Mljet Island in the Adriatic Sea. Croatian archaeologist Igor Miholjek said the find represents the largest amount of gold ever recovered from a shipwreck in the entire Mediterranean region.

The Byzantine Empire, the successor to the Roman Empire with its capital in Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul, Türkiye), once dominated the eastern Mediterranean. However, it began losing territories at the beginning of the 8th century.

Kestyn Leidwanger, a professor of archaeology at Stanford University, described the discovery as one of the most important finds of its period. He noted that shipwrecks along Mediterranean routes can provide valuable information for researchers studying the transition from the late Roman Empire to the medieval world.