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.
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.
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". 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.
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. There is at least one intact serving bowl and two intact pitchers typical of the period.
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. 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.