Depth Sounding Lead – Cabinet of Curiosities

This month’s feature highlights a depth sounding lead that was recovered from the Bay of Angra do Heroísmo in 1998 during underwater surveys and is part of the Archaeology Collection of the Museum of Angra do Heroísmo. Made of lead, it has a suspension hole at the top to which a rope was tied, and a concavity at the bottom that was filled with a sticky substance. It was used to collect sediments from the seabed, assisting navigators by providing information about the material on the sea floor and its depth, thus allowing for safer anchoring.