The strange tale of the frigate that traveled the Mediterranean buying archeological artefacts
During the reign of Amadeo I of Spain (1871-1873) one of the most outlandish archaeological expeditions in history was carried out: the frigate Arapiles was sent to buy antiquities in the eastern Mediterranean to fill the halls of Spain’s recently inaugurated National Archaeological Museum (MAN). But there was one problem: the ship did not even carry enough funds to buy the coal needed to sail.
