The 19th‐Century Akko 1 Shipwreck,Israel: hull‐construction report

The Akko 1 shipwreck was found in 4 m of water inside the ancient harbour of Akko, Israel, and was fully recorded under water. Several hull‐components were retrieved and documented on land, as well as all the finds. The results of the archaeological research and the study of the historical background suggest that the Akko 1 shipwreck is the remains of an eastern Mediterranean naval auxiliary brig, built at the end of the first quarter of the 19th century, and sailing under the Egyptian flag. The ship was apparently wrecked during the 1840 naval bombardment of Akko. © 2012 The Authors     

The 19th‐Century Akko Tower Wreck,Israel: a summary of the first two excavation seasons

The shipwreck designated as the Akko Tower Wreck lies at the entrance of Akko harbour, Israel, 35 m north of the Tower of Flies, in 4.4 m of water. Following two seasons (2012 and 2013) of underwater excavation, it is suggested that it is the remains of a merchant brig of 200 tons, dated to the first half of the 19th century, and built under the influence of the French shipbuilding tradition in an established shipyard. The full story of the ship and its place in the maritime history of Akko, however, remains an enigma.     

New insights regarding the Akko 1 shipwreck: a metallurgic and petrographic investigation of the cannonballs

The Akko 1 shipwreck constitutes the remains of a small Mediterranean naval vessel, discovered in Akko harbour, Israel, and excavated over three seasons between 2006 and 2008. Among the finds at the shipwreck site were eleven cannonballs. Two of them, a 9-pdr and a 24-pdr, were retrieved and studied using metallurgical and petrographic methods. The examination of the cast-iron was performed with optical microscopy, SEM–EDS, XRF and microhardness tests. The remains of the casting sand from within the voids in both cannonballs were studied by petrography. Combined with the archaeological evidence and the historical background, the metallurgical and petrographic testing may suggest that Akko 1 was a warship or an auxiliary naval vessel of similar size to, or slightly smaller than, sixth rate, and was in Akko harbour circa 1840.     

The Roman Lighthouse at Akko,Israel

During Roman rule Akko, in Israel, was a major Levantine seaport. Historical, numismatic and archaeological evidence shows that often Roman maritime‐associated activities, in the Levant and elsewhere, included the building or maintenance of lighthouses. No clear indications of a Roman lighthouse in Akko are known. Re‐examination of navigational considerations, coastal archaeological surveys, underwater investigations and numismatic evidence supports the proposition that a Roman lighthouse existed there. It is suggested that the lighthouse was situated on an islet near the harbour entrance. © 2011 The Authors     

Archaeometallurgical study of the brass cases from the Akko 1 shipwreck

The Akko 1 shipwreck is the remains of an eastern Mediterranean brig built in the first quarter of the nineteenth century, discovered in Akko harbour, Israel. During the underwater excavations (2006–2008), 158 brass cases were found, mainly between midships and the aft extremity of the shipwreck. It is suggested that they were used for artillery quills. The aim of this investigation is to determine the composition, microstructure and properties of these brass cases in order to understand their manufacturing process and to propose their possible dating and manufacturing location, and to verify their use. An archaeometallurgical analysis of selected brass cases was performed, including optical microscopy, microhardness tests and SEM including EDS. The results show that the collection was made of brass containing about 30 wt% zinc. The uniform thickness and the microstructure of the cases indicate that all artifacts were basically produced of rolled sheets and the cases were hand-made using simple tools. The metallurgical investigation suggests that they were manufactured during the first half of the nineteenth century. Combined with the archaeological evidence and the historical background, this supports the assumption that Akko 1 was a naval auxiliary vessel which was in Akko harbour circa 1840.     

Graffiti of Ships in the Bahá’í Mansion at Mazra‘ih,Israel

Graffiti of ships were found on a wall of a courtyard of the Bahá’í mansion in the village of Mazra‘ih, near Akko, Israel. It is suggested that three graffiti depict frigates, near Akko, the largest of about 850 t burden, some time in the second quarter of the nineteenth century. This is evidence for maritime activities at Akko in these years, and for the type of ships.     

Akko 1 shipwreck: the effect of cannon fire on the wooden hull

The Akko 1 shipwreck was discovered inside the harbour of the old walled city of Akko (Acre, St. Jean d'Acre, Akka), Israel. The ship's hull was built mainly of oak, with closely-set framing timbers that created a solid side. The shipwreck was apparently a result of the naval bombardment of the town in 1840.     

The Lion Wreck: a survey of a 17th‐century Dutch merchant ship—an interim report

In 2009 the well‐preserved wreck of a 17th‐century merchant ship was found at a depth of 50 m in the Stockholm Archipelago. On the top of the ship's rudder is a carved lion, inspiring the working name ‘Lion Wreck’. The state of preservation provides a rare opportunity to study the conditions on board a typical 17th‐century Dutch merchant ship trading in the Baltic. The aim of this text is to describe and summarize the first thorough survey of the site, carried out in spring 2010. © 2011 The Author     

A Box Containing Carpenter's Accessories from The Akko 1 Shipwreck,Israel: Archaeometallurgical Analysis of Surviving Ironwork

The Akko 1 shipwreck was an Egyptian armed vessel, built at the beginning of the 19th century. A wooden saw handle and a box containing iron nails and two split pins were discovered towards the stern. Given their function, location and context, these were part of the ship's carpenter's tools and accessories. A methodology was developed for conducting systematic metallurgical analysis in order to understand the manufacturing process of the surviving ironwork items, as well as to enlarge our knowledge regarding ironworking technologies during the early 19th century. Such methodology may assist in the future understanding of the technological evolution of similar wrought‐iron objects. The results demonstrated that the artefacts have a wrought‐iron heterogeneous microstructure and were manufactured by hot‐working prior to surface hardening by pack carburization.     

The Pepper Wreck, an early 17th-century Portuguese Indiaman at the mouth of the Tagus River, Portugal

Found in 1993 of the rocks of the fortress São Julião da Barra, at the mouth of the Tagus River, the SJB2 shipwreck—or Pepper Wreck—was tentatively identified as the Portuguese Indiaman Nossa Senhora dos Mártires , lost at this location on its return voyage from Cochin, in India, on 14 September 1606. Its archaeological excavation disclosed a collection of artefacts from the late 16th and the early 17th centuries and allowed the study of the surviving hull structure. The evidence suggests that the Pepper Wreck was a typical Portuguese Indiaman, similar to those described in Portuguese 16th century ship treatises, with a keel of around 27.7 m and an overall length of nearly 40 m.     

太仓半泾河古船船体用材鉴定与分析

为做好太仓半泾河古船保护修复工作、了解古船造船工艺及用材习惯,对船体龙骨、隔舱板、舱底板、侧板、船尾挡板、斜撑木、补强材、桅座和护舷板等31个样品的树种进行了鉴定。结果表明:太仓古船用材包括杉木(38.7%)、香樟(32.3%)、硬松(16.1%)、枫香(9.7%)和柏木(3.2%)等5个树种。经分析,古船用材均广泛分布于中国南方,其性能适合作为船体用材,说明古人造船就地取材但不单一选材。船体树种鉴定结果有利于后期针对性地进行船体保护工作。     

元代蓬莱古船加固技术

介绍了在山东省蓬莱市登州港发掘的蓬莱古船在保护过程中采取的“■料”修复技术、聚醋酸乙烯脂丙酮溶液喷涂船全加固技术以及生桐油喷涂船体保护技术。     

Maʻagan Mikhael B,Israel: a preliminary report of a Late Byzantine–Early Islamic period shipwreck

The Ma?agan Mikhael B shipwreck was found in 1.5m of water, beneath 1.5m of sand, 70m off the Mediterranean coast of Israel. The hull remains are in a good state of preservation, comprising the endposts, aprons, framing timbers, hull planks, stringers, and bulkheads. The finds comprise rigging elements, wooden artefacts, organic finds, animal bones, glassware, coins, bricks, stones, ceramic sherds, and complete amphoras. The shipwreck was dated to the 7th–8th centuries AD; which makes it an exceptional source of information regarding various aspects of ship construction, seamanship, and seafaring in the area in Late Antiquity.     

The Underwater Recovery of Monumental Marble Column Drums from an Ancient Shipwreck at Kızılburun,Turkey

In the first century B.C., a stone carrier sank off the Aegean coast of Turkey at K?z?lburun transporting all the elements of a monumental marble column, including a single Doric capital and eight drums. The 60-tonne cargo lay at a depth of 45–48 m and was excavated in its entirety by the Institute of Nautical Archaeology at Texas A&M University between 2005 and 2011. Ongoing research has shown that the Doric column pieces in the K?z?lburun cargo originated in the marble quarries on Proconnesus Island in the Sea of Marmara and were very likely heading for the Temple of Apollo at Claros when the ship sank just 50 km short of its destination. The complete recovery of the ship’s cargo posed a unique set of methodological challenges involving lifting the multi-tonne marble drums without disturbing the delicate waterlogged wooden hull remains preserved beneath. This report summarizes the solutions developed over five seasons in order to rig, hoist, move, and ultimately raise to the surface eight large ancient marble column drums (as well as all the other marble artifacts in the cargo) from a depth of almost 50 m under water.     

The Tel Akko Total Archaeology Project (Akko,Israel): Assessing the suitability of multi-scale 3D field recording in archaeology

Abstract

Archaeology is a destructive discipline, and, unfortunately, the majority of methods employed by archaeologists to record and preserve the archaeological record consist of two-dimensional representations of three-dimensional (3D) subjects. Recent breakthroughs in 3D technology, however, have the potential to revolutionize the discipline. In recent years, multiple software suites capable of generating spatially accurate, photorealistic 3D models with a series of digital photographs have become available. Following a successful season of field testing in 2011, the Tel Akko Total Archaeology Project (Akko, Israel) expanded the use of Agisoft’s PhotoScan Pro—one of the commercially available software suites—to test the accuracy and suitability of the program for archaeological applications at multiple scales. After two years of field testing, it is clear that the implementation of PhotoScan Pro in archaeology facilitates unprecedented accuracy in field recording and digital heritage management, and provides a new outlet for the dissemination of archaeological data.     

The Problem of the Missing Harbour of Evagoras at Salamis,Cyprus: a review of the evidence and pointers to a solution

This article summarises the archaeological evidence for the existence of Evagoras' naval harbour at Salamis in North Cyprus, which ancient texts credit him with building c.410–400 BC. Based on a critical examination of previous surveys and his own on‐site observations, the author concludes there is indicative evidence of a constructed harbour c.800 m long, which was divided into two basins by a stone jetty, separated from the city by a stone wall and with some evidence of ship‐sheds at its north end. © 2012 The Author     

A 15th‐Century Wreck of an Ordnance‐Carrying Ship from Atlit North Bay,Israel

In 1977, a shipwreck assemblage was discovered off Atlit, Israel. Finds included three iron anchors, a large bombard, four swivel guns, stone and lead shot, and bronze helmets. The bronze bombard (2210 kg, 3.247 m long) contained a wooden wad and remnants of what may have been gunpowder. The swivel guns (each 185 kg) were bronze, with swivels and the tillers of iron. Twenty (or 21) bronze helmets were recovered. The findings provide rare evidence for the mounting of heavy ordnance on the bow of a galley or ship in the 15th century.     

The Byzantine‐Period Dor 2006 Shipwreck,Israel: preliminary hull construction report

The Dor 2006 shipwreck was discovered in 2006, 100 m offshore, 800 m south of Dor (Tantura) lagoon. The wooden hull remains included sections of large frames, stringers and ceiling planks, a large number of strakes and wales, some with unpegged mortise‐and‐tenon joints. Among the finds were ceramic sherds, wooden objects, matting, ropes, food remains, and coins. The shipwreck was dated to between the second half of the 6th and the first quarter of the 7th centuries AD. The wooden components of the hull indicate a large ship compared with other shipwrecks of the period, and the largest ever excavated in the Dor area.     

Recording and Analysis of Ship Graffiti in St Thomas’ Church and Blackfriars Barn Undercroft in Winchelsea,East Sussex,UK

Two assemblages of ship graffiti were recorded using Reflectance Transformation Imaging in the ancient port town of Winchelsea. The engravings show characteristics common to most medieval ship graffiti in England, while displaying different levels of detail, which encouraged a nuanced interpretation. It is suggested that the ship graffiti demonstrate a multifaceted relationship with the sea. The St Thomas’ church graffiti could have been a means of spiritual protection and a devotional practice that cuts across different communities of practice and social groups. The seascape in Blackfriars Barn undercroft can be interpreted as an occasion of informal remembrance of the mustering of a large naval fleet before setting out.     

The Tune Viking Ship Reconsidered

The Tune Viking ship has been a riddle for more than 150 years, since being found within a burial in the Oslo fjord area in 1867. It was long thought that the ship's freeboard was too low for it to have crossed the North Sea. Advances in documentation methods and a detailed study of the preserved parts of the ship have provided new data, and this article outlines a new proposal for how the ship looked when it was built in the early 10th century AD. The Tune ship is reinterpreted as a seagoing vessel, in no way inferior to the Oseberg or Gokstad Viking ships.