Excavation work on a 2,300-year-old Cyprus shipwreck offers insight into the evolution of Mediterranean shipbuilding technology in the ancient world, Cypriot officials said Wednesday.
“After careful study of the excavated timbers, a very important element of shipbuilding technology has already come to light: both ligatures and mortise-and-tenons were used to join the garboard, the stem post and the keel,” said an Antiquities Department statement.
It said evidence found on the 4th century BC Mazatos wreck was linked to two prominent Mediterranean seafaring people, the Greeks and the Phoenicians.
“These two techniques found in the same ship add an important piece to the puzzle that is the history of classical shipbuilding in the eastern Mediterranean,” said the statement.
It added: “This history has thus far been grounded on only two excavated shipwrecks: the Ma’agan Michael, Israel, dated late fifth century BC and the Kyrenia shipwreck, Cyprus, early third century BC.
Thus, the Mazotos shipwreck, dated fourth century BC, fits right between these two and covers a gap in the development of naval technology in antiquity.”
Archaeologists believe it may be the oldest known ancient shipwreck off Cyprus which sank with hundreds of jars of wine on board 2,300 years ago.
Experts say it appears to be one of the best-preserved wrecks in the region, carrying hundreds of jars of wine dating from the mid-fourth century BC.
The Department of Antiquities and Ministry of Transport announced on Wednesday the successful completion of the seventh full excavation season at the shipwreck. Research at the shipwreck started in 2007.
It said the objective of this year’s field season was to complete the excavation of the bow area of the ancient ship some 45 metres deep and 2 km off Cyprus’ southern coast.
The Antiquities Department “hopes a better-preserved part of the hull is a promising indication that more coherent evidence on shipbuilding technology will be found during the next field season”.
A total of 70 partly or fully preserved Chian amphorae were recovered, which raised the number of amphorae stowed under the foredeck of the ship’s hold to 99.
“Most of these amphorae were most probably carrying wine but at least one was full of olive pits, possibly for consumption by the crew,” said the Antiquity Department.
“Also, two fishing weights were found, which offer a glimpse of the life onboard for the mariners of this period,” it added.
The research team was comprised of 43 members (archaeologists, divers and students), most of them volunteers from Cyprus and eight different countries: Greece, UK, Spain, USA, Italy, Slovenia, Poland and Germany.
