A Byzantine Shipwreck Reveals the Largest Gold Treasure Found on the Adriatic Sea Floor

A team of archaeologists has discovered a significant gold treasure in the remains of a sunken Byzantine ship that sank about 1,300 years ago off the Croatian island of Mljet. The find includes gold coins, jewelry with precious stones, and a seal ring featuring the image of an emperor, a piece that may have belonged to a high-ranking official of the Byzantine Empire.

Although the wreck was located more than a decade ago, researchers have needed ten years of underwater excavations to recover and restore the objects. Thanks to the coins found, experts believe that the ship sank between the late 7th century and the early 8th century.

After cleaning the pieces, archaeologists have recovered more than 600 grams of gold, an amount they consider the largest found so far in a shipwreck from this era in the Mediterranean.

Among the most notable items are buckles and belts decorated with rubies, emeralds, and pearls, as well as a ring used as an official seal. According to specialists, this type of jewelry could only belong to very high-ranking individuals within the Byzantine Empire.

Researchers believe that the wreck found was not a simple merchant ship, but a vessel that transported a high-ranking official of the Empire, possibly a military commander, a diplomat, or an official sent by the emperor.

In addition to the treasure, the team has recovered amphorae, ceramic containers, trade scales, plates, jugs, and ivory tokens, objects that will help reconstruct the ship's route and better understand maritime trade of the time.

Photo: Hrvatski Restauratorski Zavod