在海上发现的海上迷失：在纳米比亚发掘了一艘500年历史的沉船

1533年，一艘葡萄牙的船只在纳米比亚的沙漠中浮出水面，提供了一大堆硬币，枪口和全球贸易历史的宝库。凯尔·约翰逊（Kele Johnson）。

A Portuguese vessel lost in 1533 has recently resurfaced in Namibia’s desert, offering a treasure trove of coins, ingots, and a glimpse into global trade history.

1533年，一艘葡萄牙的船只最近在纳米比亚的沙漠中浮出水面，为全球贸易历史提供了一大堆硬币，枪口和瞥见。

Miners searching for diamonds in one of the most unlikely places on earth—the blazing sands of the Namib Desert—uncovered a time capsule from the Age of Discovery. They were working on a new section of the diamond mine in 2008 when they unearthed the remains of the Bom Jesus (which translates to “The Good Jesus”), a Portuguese trading vessel lost at sea nearly 500 years ago. The final voyage had ended, but not in the waters off the coast of Africa. It had ended inland, where the desert meets the Atlantic coast.

在地球上最不可能的地方之一（纳米布沙漠的炽烈的沙滩）中寻找钻石的矿工从发现时代开始了一个时间胶囊。他们在2008年在钻石矿山的一个新区域工作，当时他们发掘了耶稣的遗体（这转化为“好耶稣”，这是一艘葡萄牙贸易船只在大约500年前在海上丢失的船只。最后的航行已经结束，但没有在非洲沿海的水域中结束。它结束了内陆，沙漠与大西洋海岸相遇。

And it was filled with treasure.

它充满了宝藏。

The Bom Jesus was a Portuguese nau (also called a Carrack) that departed Lisbon on Friday, March 7, 1533, captained by Sir Francico de Noronha, bound for the lucrative trade routes of the East. The ship’s fate remained a mystery for centuries—until 2008, when diamond miners discovered its wreck near Oranjemund on Namibia’s Atlantic coast. Its discovery marked a milestone in maritime archaeology: the Bom Jesus is now considered the oldest and most significant shipwreck found along the western edge of Sub-Saharan Africa.

Bom耶稣是葡萄牙NAU（也称为Carrack），于1533年3月7日星期五离开里斯本，由Francico de Noronha爵士担任，前往东方有利可图的贸易路线。该船的命运一直是一个世纪的谜团 - 直到2008年，钻石矿工在纳米比亚大西洋海岸的奥兰杰蒙德附近发现了残骸。它的发现标志着海上考古学中的一个里程碑：耶稣现在被认为是沿撒哈拉以南非洲西部边缘发现的最古老，最重要的沉船。

Built in the early 16th century during Portugal’s golden age of exploration, the Bom Jesus likely belonged to a new generation of ships designed to endure the long and perilous voyages between Europe and Asia. These naus were built larger and sturdier than earlier vessels, being built to withstand the treacherous passage around the Cape of Good Hope and back.

耶稣建于葡萄牙探索黄金时代的16世纪初期，可能属于旨在忍受欧洲和亚洲之间漫长而危险的航行的新一代船只。这些天真的建造比早期的船只更大，更坚固，该船只的建造是为了承受好希望和返回斗篷周围的危险通道。

The hull of the Bom Jesus was constructed using advanced shipbuilding techniques for the time. It was a vessel of considerable size and draft, a testament to the Portuguese prowess in shipbuilding during the Age of Discovery.

耶稣的船体是在当时使用先进的造船技术建造的。它是一艘大小和草稿的船只，这证明了发现时代葡萄牙人在造船业中的实力。

Although little documentation of the ship survives, experts believe the Bom Jesus was headed for the Indian subcontinent, carrying a cargo tailored for trade.

尽管该船的文献很少，但专家认为耶稣朝着印度次大陆前进，载有一辆用于贸易的货物。

The archaeologists called to the site uncovered an staggering hoard. Approximately 2,000 gold coins were recovered from the site, predominantly Spanish excellentes featuring the likenesses of Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon. Portuguese coinage was also present, including cruzados from the reigns of Kings Manuel I and João III. Additionally, coins from Venice, France, and various Muslim states were found, indicative of the extensive trade connections of the period. The inscriptions and designs on these coins were instrumental in dating the shipwreck to the early 1530s.

考古学家召集到该地点，发现了一个惊人的ho积。从该地点回收了大约2,000枚金币，主要是西班牙的优秀人物，其中包括Castile I的伊莎贝拉（Isabella I）和阿拉贡（Aragon）的费迪南德二世（Ferdinand II）。还出席了葡萄牙造币，其中包括来自国王曼努埃尔（Kings Manuel I）和若昂三世（JoãoIII）的克鲁萨多斯（Cruzados）。此外，发现了威尼斯，法国和各种穆斯林国家的硬币，这表明了这一时期的广泛贸易联系。这些硬币上的铭文和设计有助于将沉船的约会到1530年代初。

Another surprise came in bulk. The find included 1,845 copper ingots, each stamped with a trident mark linking them to the powerful Fugger banking family of Germany, which were found amidst the wreckage. These ingots, weighing some 17 tons, had originally been shipped from Central Europe and were headed for India, where copper was a prized trade commodity. The Fuggers’ mark made this historical find even richer, providing substantial proof of copper’s role in global commerce and the Fugger family’s significant role in supplying copper for trade during the Renaissance.

另一个惊喜是散装。该发现包括1,845枚铜矿，每个铜矿都盖上了三叉戟标记，将它们连接到了强大的德国福格银行家族，这些家族被发现在残骸中。这些重约17吨的挖掘机最初是从中欧运来的，前往印度，铜是一种珍贵的贸易商品。 Fuggers的标记使这一历史发现更加丰富，从而提供了铜在全球贸易中的作用以及Fugger家族在文艺复兴时期为贸易供应铜的重要作用的实质证明。

The preservation was extraordinary. While only a small part of the wreck’s original structure was preserved, the ship’s contents were found in relatively good condition. Namibia’s dry climate and the heavy copper cargo helped create a sealed environment, protecting not just the metal but also elephant tusks, navigational instruments, weapons (including a 500-year-old musket and cannons), and personal effects—all eerily well-preserved.

保存是非凡的。虽然仅保留了残骸原始结构的一小部分，但发现该船的物品的状况相对较好。纳米比亚的干燥气候和重型铜货物帮助创造了密封的环境，不仅保护金属，还保护大象牙，导航仪器，武器（包括500年历史的火枪和大炮）以及个人效果，都非常保存。

Dr. Dieter Noli, the lead archaeologist at the South African Institute for Maritime Archaeological Research, maintains that the copper ingots were responsible for the remarkable preservation of the ship’s cargo. “Marine organisms may like wood, book covers, peach pits, jute sacks, and leather shoes, but copper really repels them from their food – so a lot of things survived 500 years at the bottom of the sea that really shouldn’t have.”

南非海事考古研究所的首席考古学家迪特·诺里（Dieter Noli）博士坚称，铜锭是造成船上货物的显着保存的原因。 “海洋生物可能喜欢木材，书套，桃坑，黄麻袋和皮鞋，但铜确实从食物中排斥了它们 - 因此，在海底的底部有500年的时间，实际上不应该拥有500年。”

The find is the stuff of legend for treasure hunters and history buffs. For numismatists, it’s a windfall of study materials and historical significance.

发现是寻宝和历史爱好者的传奇。对于钱币主义者而言，这是研究材料的意外收获和历史意义。

Seventeen years after its discovery, the exact fate of the Bom Jesus and how it came to rest in Namibia is still uncertain. The prevailing theory is that a violent storm pushed the ship toward the coast, where it ran aground.

发现后十七年，耶稣的确切命运以及纳米比亚如何休息的命运仍然不确定。盛行的理论是，一场暴风雨将船推向搁浅的海岸。

Though many items remain in conservation, plans are to exhibit the Bom Jesus artifacts to the public eventually. In the meantime, the find continues to offer new clues about a time when ships like the Bom Jesus helped stitch together a truly global economy.

尽管许多物品仍在保护中，但计划最终向公众展示耶稣文物的bom。同时，该发现继续提供新的线索，以了解像Bom耶稣这样的船只帮助缝合真正的全球经济的时代。