These discoveries are revolutionizing our understanding of maritime history, trade, and cultural exchange. Each recovered plank, each rusted nail, contributes to the reconstruction of a vanished world.
Restoring without betraying
Restoring a wooden treasure is a delicate exercise. It involves preserving the object without erasing the traces of time. Over-restoring risks losing authenticity; doing nothing means accepting its gradual disappearance.
Restorers often work like doctors of heritage. They study the wood, identify parasites, stabilize the structures, and use reversible techniques so as not to condemn future generations to irreversible choices.
Each intervention raises ethical debates: should we restore the appearance of