Talking to Bangalore

We arranged an online call with a member of our team and the students conducted a very professional interview. They asked thoughtful and interesting questions, where we talked about how the ship had been raised, what the museum was like, why the ship sank, and even challenged us on why it was important to preserve these items. It was a lovely chance to talk about the ship’s place in the wider world and why it might be relevant to international audiences. What relevance does a Tudor ship have for students in India?

One of the things that surprises many visitors is the global nature of the stories we can tell here. Isotope and DNA evidence shows that our crew came from all over Europe and North Africa and the Middle East but many of the objects also have an international origin. We discussed the black pepper that was found on the ship which must have come from India and would have been traded via Arabian merchants into Europe. It would have been highly prized as it was an expensive commodity. On the ship, we found peppercorns in a wooden canister in the Surgeon’s cabin that could have been used for treating fevers or making medicines for wounds.

Both students presented their work to their classmates and parents and were both very successful at conveying their knowledge about the ship. One project created an immersive experience by making her visitors walk through a darkened tunnel to the sound of the sea! Both created replica artefacts and showed off some fantastic work in their projects. Their interview finished with the question ‘what can we do to preserve the past and support the Mary Rose’? We think they are doing a great job by learning about the past and telling people about it. We hope they can visit us in person someday!