红桃视频

Using cargo recovered from one of Australia鈥檚 most infamous shipwrecks, new 红桃视频-led research has revealed how surprisingly sophisticated global supply chains helped source and transport construction materials in the 17th century.

The study analysed stone blocks, bricks and ballast from the Dutch East India Company ship Batavia, which wrecked off the coast of Western Australia in 1629, revealing the materials came from multiple quarry sources in Europe 鈥� not a single site as previously assumed.

Lead researcher , from the within Curtin鈥檚 School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, said the team set out to solve the long-standing mystery of exactly where the ship鈥檚 building stone came from, and whether it was sourced from one quarry or several.

鈥淗istorical records are incomplete, and after nearly 400 years underwater, these stones can look very similar, making them difficult to identify,鈥� Dr Clarke said.

鈥淲e wanted to know if tiny mineral grains could give us a reliable fingerprint of where the stone formed, and help reveal how the Dutch East India Company sourced and transported materials across its global network.

鈥淏y analysing microscopic zircon minerals within the stone, we discovered that blocks which looked almost identical actually came from different quarry regions in what is now Germany.

鈥淲e found these stones were sourced from at least two different quarry areas, then brought together into a single shipment before being sent halfway around the world in a highly organised supply chain more than 400 years ago.鈥�

Batavia was carrying prefabricated sandstone blocks likely intended for the Dutch East India Company鈥檚 main fortified headquarters in Jakarta, along with thousands of bricks and other building materials, when it wrecked in the Abrolhos Islands.

Using shipwreck samples supplied by the Department of Maritime Archaeology at the Western Australian Museum, researchers used known as detrital zircon U鈥揚b dating to trace the origin of the cargo 鈥� a method that can uncover hidden details even when materials appear identical.

Dr Clarke said the findings reveal parts of history that were undiscoverable through traditional records and visual analysis.

鈥淢any shipping records have been lost over time, and the ocean can change how materials look,鈥� Dr Clarke said.

鈥淏y studying these tiny zircon grains, we can uncover hidden details about where materials came from and how they were moved around the world centuries ago.

鈥淭he research also highlights the logistical complexity behind the Dutch East India Company鈥檚 expansion, including how building materials were sourced, consolidated and transported across vast distances to support colonial infrastructure.鈥�

The Batavia shipwreck, discovered in 1963, is one of Australia鈥檚 most significant maritime archaeological sites and is well known for the dramatic mutiny and massacre that followed the wreck.

Research co-author, WA Museum Head of Maritime Heritage Dr Corioli Souter said the research highlights how much more can still be learned from historic shipwreck collections and the value of cross-institutional collaboration.

鈥淣early 400 years after Batavia sank, the famous ship is still revealing new stories,鈥� Dr Souter said.

鈥淏y combining museum collections with advanced scientific techniques, we鈥檙e uncovering hidden details about early global trade.

鈥淐ollaborations like this are vital for unlocking new insights from historic shipwrecks and sharing them with the broader community.鈥�

The research team plans to analyse more stones from Batavia and other shipwrecks, comparing them with a wider range of European quarry sources to further map historical trade routes.

The paper 鈥�鈥�, is published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports.