The construction work on the future biomedical research complex where the Mercat del Peix used to be has made some interesting discoveries from the very beginning. In March 2023, an archaeological intervention began where the BSM car park of the Ciutadella del coneixement will be located, which has since documented an air raid shelter from the Spanish Civil War and vestiges of the old Mercat del Peix, among others. Now, two years later, a medieval ship dating from the 15th and 16th centuries has been discovered.
The excavations, carried out 5 metres below sea level, have revealed the remains of the stern of a large ship, of which a fragment 10 metres long and more than 3 metres wide has been preserved. The frames, the wooden beams that give shape to the skeleton of the ship, can be seen. The Arqueòlegs.cat team believes that a storm may have caused the ship to run aground in this area where, at the time, the sea reached.
Provisionally named ‘Ciutadella I’, it is hoped that in the coming months and thanks to the analysis of the wood and resins used in its construction, the place of manufacture can be determined. The team also hopes to be able to transfer the vessel to specialised facilities where the dating and conservation work will begin.
For now, however, the piece is still at the site where the structural elements are being marked and photographs are being taken to create three-dimensional models that will help to study how to preserve and move the ship. And in order to prevent the deterioration of the piece, which has been buried under a layer of sand that has kept its humidity stable for the last few centuries, the team of archaeologists is constantly moisturising it.
In the coming years, on the site where the discovery was made and where the Mercat del Peix was once located, a UPF building dedicated to esearch on and innovation for society well-being, the new IBE headquarters and the building promoted by the BIST, which will manage and build the PRBB, will be constructed.
