The Postal Union for the Mediterranean was established in Rome on March 15, 2011 by 14 postal operators from the Mediterranean region under the umbrella of the Universal Postal Union (UPU). Today it has up to 23 members.
Among its numerous actions, one of the most anticipated is the issue of the stamp within the Euromed Postal series, in which a theme is chosen and all the member countries of this organization present their designs freely.
This year, the chosen theme is about the maritime archeology of the Mediterranean.
The governing bodies of the Postal Union for the Mediterranean are the General Assemblies and the Board Meetings.
The Mediterranean Sea hides under its waters centuries of history of conquests and trade routes between the empires that dominated its shores.
The bottom of the sea holds many secrets about the history of mankind. Unveiling these mysteries hidden underwater can help us reconstruct and understand the past of ancient civilizations. Underwater archeology shows us its origin through the remains found in the ocean, turning these valuable wrecks into true time capsules.
One of the most famous cases of recent times is that of the ship Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes, destroyed by the British navy in 1804 near the coast of Cádiz. The sinking of it was key to the start of the Trafalgar battle that would ruin the Spanish empire. An American company found the remains of this mythical vessel and seized the remains of it. After a tough litigation, the Spanish state recovered them.
In addition to the emblematic site of Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes, studied internationally and where work is carried out at a depth of more than 1,000 meters, Spain and the Mediterranean Sea have unique places for the study of history under the sea. The images that appear on the stamp belong to the National Museum of Underwater Archaeology. Cartagena (Murcia)
Every vestige recovered from the bottom of the sea has the same value for archaeologists: that of historical knowledge.
