Three treasure chests and human remains in the wreck in England

Archaeologists find the remains of sailors and three treasure chests and many other items on the shipwreck in England.

Marine archaeologists have found three wooden treasure chests that can contain ingot silver bought from Dong An and human bones in Rooswijk wreck off the coast near Kent, England, Telegraph reported on August 18.

The merchant ship Rooswijk is owned by the Dutch East India Company, wrecked off the coast near Kent, England in January 1740 due to bad weather. At that time, the ship was on its way to Jakarta to exchange silver and copper for pepper, nutmeg and porcelain.

Scientists discovered many valuable items in the wreck of Rooswijk.(Photo: Historic England).

There are about 250 people on board, including sailors, soldiers protecting goods, children and women. It is thought that all died in the shipwreck.

The cause of the crew's death on the ship is being explored by archaeologists, said Mark Dunkley, an archaeologist at Historic England."We have started to search and salvage skeletons. This is a big event because it is very rare to find remains in wrecks."

Archaeologists plan to sample DNA from remains to find the descendants of the victims and use X-rays to check inside three mysterious treasure chests before opening. In addition, everyday items such as leather shoes, knives, tin pots . were also picked up from the wreck.

Treasure chest is found in the wreck of Rooswijk.(Photo: Steve Finn).

The ruins of this wreck belong to the Dutch government and are managed by the Historic England agency, the British Ministry of Digital, Culture, Media and Sports. Most of the things found, including silver ingots, will be brought back to the Netherlands, although archaeologists hope to display some valuable items in the UK.

The researchers identified the captain, Daniel Rousiers, and several crew members with a mailbox drifting into the town of Deal after the ship sank. However, all the remaining victims are unknown.

An ancient spoon is salvaged.(Photo: Steve Finn).

A diver found the wreck in 2005. However, only a preliminary excavation was conducted and then stopped.

Last summer, the Historic England agency noticed that the ship was in danger of being destroyed by a sea worm. Exposure to sea and air also made ships more and more deteriorating, causing archaeologists to accelerate research and save valuable things.