The discovery of nine coins and a map with an ‘X’ marked on it could further cement India and Australia’s relationship, as well as change Australia’s history. Five of these were of African origin (dating back to the 900s to 1300s) and were made of copper, and four coins were from the Dutch East India Company (with one dating back to 1960) were found on the Wessel Islands, a group of islands off Australia’s north coast.
The discoveries were made by Australian scientist and Amercian professor, Ian McIntosh in 1979. The significance of the discovery was not realised until recently and a second expedition has been planned for July.
Trade links that span back as far as 1000 years between Australia and India, East Africa, Arabia and the Spice Islands have long been suspected by archaeologists.
