The barrel was found at a depth of about 18 meters during an unexploded ordnance (UXO) survey conducted since March in waters off the Pomerania region, where the plant is being built in the municipality of Choczewo. Divers retrieved the object under archaeological supervision.
Measuring roughly 70 centimeters tall and 40 centimeters in diameter, the barrel weighs more than 216 kilograms. It is believed to contain osmund-type iron nuggets — a common Baltic trade commodity — and bears merchant marks on its base, a practice used until the end of the 17th century to identify seaborne cargo.
The barrel has since been transported to the National Maritime Museum in Gdańsk for analysis and conservation.
Experts believe it may be part of the cargo of a late-medieval or early modern merchant vessel, possibly of Swedish origin.
"Perhaps it was a maritime disaster, perhaps a storm caused the ship to sink", said the museum's deputy director for research, Dr. Marcin Westphal, who added that no other wreck components had been found at the site so far, though further discoveries remained possible.
Conservation will require separating the wood from the metal, as each demands a different process. "We want to reach the metal to conduct elemental composition analysis", said conservator Irena Rodzik, noting that the metal also contains harmful chlorides requiring removal. The wooden parts will undergo freeze-drying.
Westphal said the merchant marks offered particular research potential. "Perhaps we will be able to establish who sold it and who bought it", he said.
(jh)
Source: PAP