The
Wreck Site
The shipwreck is Hellinistic in origin, most probably dating from
the end of the third century BC or the beginning of the second century
BC. The cargo was largely amphora that contained wine. Two Rhodian
amphoras are clearly present near the anchor stocks at what would
have been the bow of the ship (Fig. 2). There are very few
known wrecks from this time period and none of these are in such
an excellent state of preservation.
Fig. 2: Bow area of the shipwreck with an
anchor stock, collars and Amphora.
The shape of the wreck site is typical of ancient ships from this
period. The amphoras form a more or less ovoid mound, having been
stacked in the hold as many as three layers deep, and tapering longitudinally
and vertically with the run of the hull of the ship. We estimate
the vessel to be approximately 20 meters long.
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Fig.
3: Ancient anchors similar to
the type used on
this vessel.
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The bow is clearly identifiable given the presence of at least four
anchors. Anchors of the period were comprised of wooden shafts and
flukes, and lead stocks and fluke supports, or "collars"
(Fig. 3). There are at least four collars and three anchor
stocks all still oriented as if they were laying on the fore deck
of the ship which was the usual position while underway. The most
clearly visible stock protrudes from the sediment at a steep angle,
and is judged to have a length of at least 2 meters and weight of
several hundred pounds. It is not uncommon to find 6 or more anchors
on a wreck site from this period, as the anchors required continuous
repair and were often lost during deployment.
Fig. 4: Cooking cauldron amid the amphora. The world's longest
deployed sediment trap.
The stern of the ship is demarcated by the paucity of ceramic material,
and the hodge-podge of amphoras, some part of the cargo and others
possibly to the crew provisions. There is also a scattering of cooking
ware, or coarse pottery commonly found in the galley, which was
located in the stern of these vessels (Fig. 4). There is
at least one intact serving bowl and two intact pitchers typical
of the period.
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Fig. 5: Ballast stone located
between the main cargo area and the crew area.
The presence of ballast stone just forward of the stern area indicates
that the bulk of the cargo was loaded in the main hold forward of
the galley on top of the ballast stone (Fig. 5). The galley
was separated from the cargo area by both the cooking hearth brickwork
and a strong bulkhead. As the wooden structure of the ship deteriorated
the cargo would tend to spread and settle, in this case more toward
the bow and sides than the stern, partially exposing the ballast
stone.
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