Oldest Ancient Wooden Anchor

What is probably the oldest example of an ancient wooden anchor dating to around the 7th century BC has been found by archaeologist in the port city of Urla (ancient Liman Tepe) in Turkey. The port served the ancient Greek settlement of Klazomenai but was destroyed in the 6th century BC, by an earthquake most likely. The anchor seems to have a metal-covered crown and is clearly an interesting and important find for maritime and nautical archaeology.

Searching for Ancient Shipwrecks in the Aegean

Results of deep-water surveys conducted by the Greek Ephorate of Underwater Antiquites and the Institue of Oceanography in Greek waters around Chios and Kythnos which led to the discovery of several ancient shipwrecks, and notably two hellenistics wrecks of particular interest, is about to be published in The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology. Apparently, the Chios wreck was located at a depth of 70 m and the Kythnos wreck was located at a depth of around 495 metres. This survey employed side-scan sonar as well sub-bottom profiling, making the survey more effective and producing interesting results. You can read the detailed report online for free (for a limited period) on the Blackwell Publishing website.

Replicas of ancient Foca people to set sail

The 360 Degree Research Group who built the replica of the Bronze Age Uluburun ship are to sail from Foca to Marseille using two replicas of ancient ships in an attempt to retrace the route taking by Foca settlers over 2,600 years ago. This is a great event to be followed.
Click on title for full article from Turkish Daily News.

Good News for Greece

The United Nations assembly in New York has approved a draft resolution that antiquities be returned to their country of origin. The resolution was put forward by Greece Minister of Culture Giorgos Voulgarakis who said “The illegal trade of antiquities is in the same category as the illegal trade of weapons, narcotics and people. It amounts to a form of organized crime that is directly related to mobsters and money laundering.” This can be seen as a success in Greece's attempt to recover artifacts such as the Parthenon Marbles kept at the British Museum which were stolen by the Earl Of Elgin, Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire (1799-1803).

Dull is the eye that will not weep to see
Thy walls defaced, thy mouldering shrines removed
By British hands, which it had best behoved
To guard those relics ne'er to be restored.
Curst be the hour when from their isle they roved,
And once again thy hapless bosom gored,
And snatch'd thy shrinking gods to northern climes abhorred!

Lord Byron, "Childe Harold"

Antikythera Mechanism in the news again

New theories are put forward on the Antikythera Mechanism, but not surprisingly not everyone agrees on its function. The results of recent studies by an Anglo-Greek team published in the journal Nature show it could have been used to predict solar and lunar eclipses. I wonder what Derek Solla Price would say. As for me, (that's the other Derek) I like to believe, like some others, that it could have been used for teaching or navigation. Anyway, click on link for recent article.

Roman wreck thought to be big

The 1st century AD Roman wreck found (referred to in my last blog) is turning out to be even more generous with its information on ancient ships. The ship was carrying as many as 1,500 amphorae containing fish. The fish bones are well preserved and will provide important information on trade. The cargo probably also includes lead, and copper which the Romans mixed with tin to make bronze for a range of things, including plates and jewelry.
But even more importantly, it is estimated that the ship had a capacity of around 400 tons which is twice the size of any roman wreck found up to now, and confirms the thesis held by certain historians and archaeologists (including myself) that ships of a capacity of up to several hundred tons were being built at that time.

Roman wreck yields array of historical 'treasures'

The 1st century Roman shipwreck discovered off the coast of Valencia in Spain in 2000, but not excavated until very recently, is proving to be a maritime archaeologists' 'bijou'. The ship was apparently transporting jars of garum from Spain to Rome when she sunk in a storm. She is relatively well-preserved and lies in only 25 metres allowing easy access and therefore a promising study. We await more details ...

Ancient Stone Anchors found off Paphos

Archaeologist from the UK have reported finding a large collection of stone anchors (most likely from the Bronze Age) off the coast of Paphos in Cyprus. The find is of great importance as it is now the largest collection of stone anchors to be found in the same area and could shed light on the role of Paphos in ancient maritime trade, and could also confirm the importance of Palaipaphos' sanctuary to Aphrodite for pilgims from around the Mediterranean. Click on link to read article from the Cyprus Mail.

The Black Sea Shipwreck Research Project

The Black Sea Shipwreck Research Project is under way and here is the link that will bring you up to date on our activities. Check it out!

The Black Sea Shipwreck Research Project

An interesting project we will be taking part in this year! Here's a link to the Black Sea Shipwreck Research Project 2006.