A ship with a cargo of precious American paint was found off the coast of Spain

In Spain, archaeologists have identified the wreckage of a 16th-century ship in the Bay of Cadiz as the Genoese merchant ship San Giorgio e Sant'Elmo Buonaventura, which sank during the famous raid of the English pirate Francis Drake in April 1587. This was reported by Arkeonews magazine on April 28.

Thanks to the mud layer, rare organic materials have been preserved on the ship. One of the most valuable finds was cochineal, an expensive red dye from America, obtained from the insect species Dactylopius coccus.

Among the most notable discoveries was cochineal, which in the early Modern period became one of the most valuable products exported from America to Europe. This commodity was the third most expensive American product after gold and silver. The dye was transported in cloth bags placed in barrels made of Baltic oak.

In addition, ceramic jugs with olives in brine, boxes of ginger from America and guaiac wood were found on board. The researchers also found human remains, including the skull of a young woman aged 25-35. An anthropological examination revealed an injury on the right side of the forehead, inflicted shortly before death. The nature of the damage corresponds to the impact of a projectile or an object of triangular cross-section, which indicates violence during the British attack.

Paleobiological analysis of cattle, pig and poultry bones helped reconstruct the crew's diet. The Delta II study allowed historians to link the global processes of the 16th century, from colonial trade and Mediterranean finance to the large—scale military confrontation between England and Spain.

On November 5, 2025, Arkeonews reported the discovery of a Roman merchant ship about 1,700 years old underwater in Playa de Palma, Majorca. The archaeologists emphasized that the ship sailed from the large Roman port of Cartagena and was carrying olive oil, wine and garum.