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The Kyrenia Shipwreck

In the autumn of 1967 a diver found the remains of what will soon become the oldest known Greek ship in history. Sitting half a mile off the shore of Kyrenia harbor, Cyprus, the great shipwreck was covered in a thick layer of protective mud-sand, with seaweed gently swaying about the mound of amphorae that were visible to the naked eye. It was just pure fate that the waters that held the wreck were only ninety feet deep, a depth suitable for divers to conduct an archaeological expedition. The finds were amazing – much of the ship itself was preserved under the mud-sand, as well as many artifacts that were preserved due to their surroundings. After a lengthy assessment of all that could be salvaged from the sea, archaeologists found they had uncovered the most well-preserved fourth-century Greek merchant ship and cargo in history. What is the story behind this great find? Who was on the ship when it sunk? Where was it going? Where did it come from? How was it built? These are only a few of the mysteries that come out of this excavation. Thankfully, through science, technology, and research, many of these questions can be answered with a great deal of scientific backing. This paper will discuss the finds within the Kyr

enia Shipwreck, as well as the ship’s construction, and what exactly happened the day the ship hit the bottom of the sea.

During the excavation of the ship, and after the body of the ship was lifted out of the water, divers found pieces of excess iron strewn about the floor of the sea not too far from where the ship was laying. They also found similar pieces embedded into the side of the ship. Though the team did not realize this at the time, these bits of iron would lead to the evidence of what caused the ship to sink. After the iron bits were cleaned and analyzed, researchers realized these were not pieces of the ship that they had once assumed, but they were eight spearheads that had been stuck into the side of the ship when she fell. The spearheads that were removed from the ship had the ship’s outer residue on their points, thus allowing the team to conclude that it was piracy that caused this ship to sink. Piracy was an enormous problem during the era when the original ship was at sail. The Kyrenia coast has numerous secret coves from which swiftly rowed pirate ships could attack merchantmen. Furthermore, laws against piracy were brutal in Athens, showing how serious the problem was. Another hint that pirates had seized this ship was that the cargo remains were not of particular value, and only a few bronze coins had been recovered, where there should have been many more since this was a trading vessel. What had most likely happened was that pirates attacked the ship, threw their spears into the ship, jumped aboard, and combed the ship's cargo, picking up anything of value in coins, movable cargo and crew's belongings. Then they cut a hole in the bilge so the ship would sink, thus covering up all evidence of the attack. As for the crew, though they may have been able to escape and swim to safety, it is more than likely that they were taken and sold into slavery.

Almonds, a staple food among the Greeks, were found in heaps among the cargo within the hull. Some were in amphorae, preserved perfectly by the sand and silt, which settled above them. The team of researchers, however, is unsure if this is how the almonds were stored, or if it was the centuries of octopi finding remains and placing them in different places (Katzev 1970: 853). More almonds were found in piles, apparently at one point having been transported in a sack made of organic material (Katzev 1970: 848). When the question arises ‘did the ship make it to Cyprus or did it sink before it hit the shore?’, these almonds may be the answer. Cyprus was known for their many exports, one of them being almonds. Thus, cargo from Cyprus must have been picked up, and the ship fell just about one mile away from the harbor.

It is interesting to note that the team of divers chosen for the excavation had many dangers and problems to face. Not only would a diver fear a lack of oxygen, and suffering from the bends (decompression sickness), many divers discovered that there was a “thief” living underwater, taking much of the artifacts and storing them away. An octopus had actually taken many of the remains and stored them happily inside a neck of a broken amphora (Katzev 1970: 853). Now, after finding something of importance, the researchers had to assess whether the product was in its original place or if it was placed there by the eight-armed “squirrel” (Katzev 1970: 853).

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