While we’re out on the site, we have all these construction workers coming up and one of the most common questions asked any archaeologist on a site is: Have you found the gold yet? It’s kind of the question that everyone asks. And normally you go “No, no.” But in this case there’s a chance we could find gold. And that’s if we found one of the lucky coins.
Lucky coin? Ever since the 2nd century B.C. -- not long after Romans began minting coins -- shipbuilders have been slipping a coin into the structure of their ships. It’s a tradition that continues today. In fact, the USS New York - made partially from steel recovered from the World Trade Center towers - did it as well (see "What is Stepping the Mast?").
For the ancient Romans it was likely a continuation of religious customs. Now it's just a tradition and done for good luck.
So we didn’t find it during the five days we were actually excavating it. However, one of my curators did find it between the stern knee and the stern post while we were cleaning the timbers.
Here's what they found:
It’s only a copper alloy coin. I think it’s of George II, a half penny.
Originally they thought they were working on the front of the ship. Not so -- upon closer inspection they've discovered they've got the stern of the ship.
Doub also says signs continue to point to the ship being a coastal vessel, most likely involved in commerce.
As for the mysteries surrounding the ship? Answers are forthcoming.
As of last week, all the researchers who required access to the timbers had taken their samples and measurements and returned to their respective laboratories for analysis. That means we'll soon know:
-- the species of the tree the wood came from;
-- the region where the wood was grown;
-- what year the tree was cut down;
-- the origins of the woodworm remains found in the timbers (which tells you where the ship sailed).
Doub estimates it'll take several months for that analysis to finish up.
Read more at Discovery News
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