5th c. shipwreck with 10,000 ceramic dishes found off Turkey

A late 5th century A.D. shipwreck laden with cargo has been discovered off the coast of Ayvalik, western Turkey. Exploration of the site by robotic submersible vehicles found approximately 10,000 ceramic vessels inside the wreck, the largest discovery of archaeological dishware ever made in the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas.

The cargo and ship are in excellent condition, well-preserved at a depth of 141 feet. It is in its original state, not shattered to pieces nor accessible to looters. The ship was about 50 feet long and 30 feet wide and likely originated in North Africa or Cyprus. It was bound for Constantinople when it sank in a storm in Aegean 2.5 nautical miles from the modern-day coastal town of Ayvalik.

The dishes it carried are remarkable for their quality and variety as well as their quantity. There are models of five or six different shapes. They were found clustered together, nested in sets of 15 or 20 plates. There were also a small number of amphorae. Most shipwrecks from the period have been found with large numbers of amphorae, the delivery systems for consumables like olive oil, wine and the ubiquitous garum.

[Associate professor Harun Özdaş, the director of the Underwater Research Center (SUDEMER) at Dokuz Eylül University,] explained that this discovery is part of the Blue Heritage Project, which focused on the northern Aegean this year. The project aims to create a geographic information system for underwater cultural heritage and sonar technology was used for acoustic mapping in the region. Anomalies were detected at a depth of 43 meters, leading to the discovery of the wreck site.

“Our high-tech equipment allowed us to dive and locate the wreck,” said Özdaş. “This discovery was made possible by our advanced robotic systems, as the wreck lies 2.5 miles off the coast at a depth of 43 meters. This area is beyond the reach of standard diving capabilities.” […]

Özdaş also noted that ceramics produced in regions like Cyprus, North Africa, Egypt and Syria were often traded and transported to Anatolia, Greece, or Italy. However, until now, there has been no clear underwater evidence of such trade activities. The discovery of this shipwreck, with its cargo of nearly 10,000 plates, is unprecedented in its scale and significance.

* This article was originally published here