NGM APRIL 2026
BYZANTINE SHIPWRECK
A 1,400-year-old merchant vessel laden with gold coins, jewelry, amphorae, and pottery has opened an astonishing window into the maritime world of the Byzantine Empire. It was discovered in 100 feet of water, not far from the ruins of an ancient port on the Croatian island of Mljet, near Dubrovnik. The glittering collection of gold artifacts, together with significant quantities of mercury, lead, jewelry scales and crucibles used to melt metal, leads archaeologists to believe it belonged to a rich merchant or goldsmith traveling on the vessel when it sank. The tantalizing discovery of an imperial
signet ring among the artifacts suggests that this person had friends in high places.
Other features in this issue include:
• The National Geographic 33: Our annual tribute to 33 adventurers, creators, icons, and visionaries, from all across the globe, who are finding solutions to urgent problems, making extraordinary discoveries, and inspiring us along the way.
• Living History: In Abu Dhabi, curators behind the world’s newest major natural history museum have gone to incredible lengths to obtain eye-popping specimens—and send a powerful messaged about our modern need for nature
