logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2024
17m 29s

Shipwrecks: Who owns the sunken treasure...

Bbc World Service
About this episode

There are more than three million vessels on the world's sea beds, and plenty of explorers looking for them.

But if they find something valuable, do they get to keep it? We talk to an arbitration lawyer about the laws governing the sea, and hear from maritime archaeologists about the perils of rummaging around on the ocean floor, disturbing long-sunken wrecks that offer a priceless glimpse into history. Some say we should leave these ships be, especially when they’re graveyards. Others say we should bring them to the surface, put them in museums to educate people, make money from them and perhaps even sell off some of their treasure.

Produced and presented by Gideon Long

(Image: A diver looks at a shipwreck. Credit: Getty Images)

Up next
Jul 10
Business Daily meets: Max Levchin
The fintech entrepreneur tells us about co-founding PayPal, and how an embarrassing personal moment when trying to buy a car, led him to start the buy now, pay later company Affirm.Produced and presented by Leanna Byrne(Image: PayPal Co-Founder & Affirm CEO Max Levchin in 2019. C ... Show More
17m 34s
Jul 9
The impact of 'thirsty' data centres
We're in the US state of Georgia, where huge data centres need water to keep cool. But how is this need for cloud storage and AI capability affecting local residents and the environment?Presenter: Michelle Fleury Producer: Nathalie Jimenez(Image: Georgia resident Beverly Morris l ... Show More
17m 50s
Jul 8
Does university still get you a well-paid job?
Graduates are facing one of the toughest jobs markets in decades. We hear from students in India, the US and UK about whether they feel a university or college degree is worth it as we discuss the cost of attending university around the world and what your job prospects might be ... Show More
17m 27s
Recommended Episodes
May 21
Maritime Archaeology (SHIPWRECKS) Encore with Chanelle Zaphiropoulos
Shipwrecks. Treasure. Sunken planes. Scuttled submarines. New life forming around old machinery. There’s an -ology for that -- just ask Maritime Archaeologist and wreck nerd Chanelle Zaphiropoulos. This absolutely charming and passionate scuba diver, history buff and antiquities ... Show More
1h 39m
May 3
OPERATION OCEAN: SECRETS DEEPER THAN ATLANTIS
The ocean covers over 70% of our planet, yet we’ve explored less than 5%. Why? What’s hiding beneath the waves that governments, militaries, and research institutions are desperate to keep buried? In this deep-dive episode, we uncover the chilling mystery behind Operation Ocean—a ... Show More
6m 53s
Apr 10
The Sutton Hoo Ship Burial
The discovery at Sutton Hoo of the ship burial of an Anglo-Saxon king and his lavish treasure is one of the greatest archaeological finds on English soil. But who was the man considered worthy of such a splendid burial? Why was there no trace of human remains? What lies beneath t ... Show More
55m 6s
May 2024
Treasure Hunters: Why Finders Doesn't Mean Keepers
The UK's Supreme Court has just ruled on a case involving £37 million worth of silver salvaged from a shipwreck in the Indian Ocean. Argentum Exploration, which found the trove, had staked a legal claim to it, but the South African government successfully argued it was rightfully ... Show More
12m 48s
May 16
209: Ramesses II vs the Sea Peoples
Delta raiders. Decades before their famous migrations, the "Sea Peoples" were already active and visible in the eastern Mediterranean; and Ramesses II had his own dealings with these groups. In year 2 of his reign, Ramesses II (Usir-Ma'at-Ra) dealt with a coastal raid by the Sher ... Show More
24m 47s
Sep 2024
Clues That Reveal a Person’s Thoughts & Our Shipwreck Fascination - SYSK Choice
Is it true that opposites attract. After all you sometimes see couples that seem to prove the point. So just how common or rare is it for opposites to really attract? This episode starts by explaining some of the research on the topic. http://www.livescience.com/5351-truth-opposi ... Show More
50m 34s
Jun 29
Pirates: Myths vs Reality
When it comes to our perception of pirates, Treasure Island has a lot to answer for. They didn't make their enemies walk the plank, they didn't keep parrots as pets, and they didn't bury their treasure. But that doesn't mean the golden age of piracy wasn't an era of swashbuckling ... Show More
38m 1s
Nov 2024
The Lost City of Atlantis... Found?
The Yonaguni Monument is a large underwater stone complex off the coast of a tiny Japanese island. After their discovery in 1987, divers and local academics thought the rock formations were human-constructed, indicating the presence of a yet-undiscovered ancient civilization. Cou ... Show More
36m 41s
Feb 2025
Trapped Under the Sunken Titanic
Dik Barton has an amazing job. His 9 to 5 is spent recovering artefacts from the world’s most iconic shipwreck. In August 1994, Dik leads a dive to the bottom of the Atlantic - to explore an uncharted section of RMS Titanic. The mission is going off without a hitch, until their s ... Show More
56m 45s
May 2024
Postmortem, Ep. 3: The collectors
Who are the people buying this stuff anyway? People who collect human remains don’t see it as gross. In fact, these collectors connect and communicate openly on social media. In Episode 3 of Postmortem: The Stolen Bodies of Harvard, reporter Ally Jarmanning meets Jeremy Pauley, t ... Show More
35m 50s