Stunningly preserved 700-year-old SHIP from the Hanseatic League, a potent commerce network spanning from England to Russia, was found buried beneath Tallinn’s streets

June 12, 2023422.2K views

A 700-year-old ship that was part of the Hanseatic League has been found just five feet beneath the streets of Tallin. The 80ft-long vessel, thought to be a 13th-century Hanseatic cog, was found during construction work in the Estonian captialThe ship was the workhorse of the Hanseatic League, which at its zenith even waged war to protect its members' interests

The ship was found 1.5m underground at a site near Tallinn harbour, close to the former mouth of the Härjapea River – a waterway that no longer existsAs the Hanseatic League grew, it established a virtual monopoly over maritime trade in the Baltic – and the cog was its ship of choice

Another historic wreck had been found 50 metres away in 2008, so when construction began on a new office building, Tammet was called upon to supervise in case of further discoveries. He explained that the whole area had once been underwaterA representative of the company EHC Lootsi OÜ confirmed that the ship was found on their land but provided no further comment. However it's predicted that the cog's discovery will delay completion of their new office building by two months, according to Estonian media