Ses Fontanelles shipwreck nominated for National Geographic’s +HISTORIA Awards

The project, led by the Consell de Mallorca, is competing against four other Spanish discoveries in the public vote organised by National Geographic Historia.

The Roman shipwreck of Ses Fontanelles, a Late Roman vessel from the 4th century AD that sank 1,700 years ago off Playa de Palma and whose research is led by the Consell de Mallorca, has been selected as a nominee in the third edition of National Geographic’s +HISTORIA Awards, in the category of Best National Historical Discovery or Find. The Mallorcan archaeological site is competing against four other discoveries of national significance: a collection of funerary inscriptions found in Cádiz, the Roman sanctuary of Cova de les Dones in Valencia, a collection of beads discovered in a prehistoric burial complex in Seville, and the funerary complex at Alarcos Archaeological Park in Ciudad Real.

The winner in each category will be decided by a public vote, open until 12 October, through the National Geographic Historia website. The nomination therefore represents an opportunity to raise national awareness of the milestone recently achieved by the Consell de Mallorca at Ses Fontanelles.

On 29 June, the Consell de Mallorca completed the full recovery of the Ses Fontanelles shipwreck, bringing to an end a four-month archaeological operation carried out in collaboration with the University of the Balearic Islands, the University of Barcelona and the University of Cádiz. The operation, which began on 10 March, made it possible to recover the vessel’s remains in their entirety in order to ensure their conservation and study, marking a major milestone for underwater archaeology in the Mediterranean.

A team of around fifteen people worked continuously to dismantle the vessel from top to bottom and from the outside in, until the final two and largest sections of the bottom of the hull, each measuring around 12 metres in length, were recovered. After being raised using lifting bags and transported by sea to Club Marítimo San Antonio de la Playa, the sections were transferred to San Carlos Castle, where they will remain submerged in desalination tanks for approximately a year and a half.

Alongside the recovery work, excavation around the perimeter of the site yielded materials of exceptional scientific value, including almost complete amphorae, decorated fine tableware, North African cooking pottery, animal remains, four anchors — some still preserving their original knots — nearly 90 metres of rope, two complete plant-fibre baskets, a pulley, a sounding lead and fragments of the vessel’s linen sails, which have made it possible for the first time to document how they were made.

Following desalination, the timbers will be transferred to the ARQVAtec laboratory at the National Museum of Underwater Archaeology in Cartagena, where they will undergo conservation treatment using PEG impregnation and freeze-drying. The vessel’s naval architecture will also be studied, radiocarbon dating will be carried out, and all recovered materials will be classified.

From November, the Consell de Mallorca will also present an exhibition dedicated to the shipwreck at the La Misericòrdia Cultural Centre, where the public will be able to discover the history of the find and learn more about the entire scientific process carried out since its discovery.

The +HISTORIA Awards, organised by National Geographic Historia, are now in their third edition and recognise the year’s most outstanding projects, discoveries and figures in the fields of history and archaeology in Spain, with winners selected through an online public vote.

The Consell de Mallorca is encouraging the public to support the nomination by voting through this link: https://historia.nationalgeographic.com.es/a/tercera-edicion_26187