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.     

Evidence for Indo-Roman Trade from Bet Dwarka Waters, West Coast of India

India had a very active maritime trade contact with the Roman world between the 4th century BC and the 4th century AD. In this context recent finds of stone anchors, potsherds, lead anchors and a lead ingot from 5 to 8 m water-depth near Bet Dwarka jetty is significant. The sherds include amphoras, jars, bowls and lids. Archaeological finds along the Indian coast and comparison between amphoras from Bet Dwarka and the Mediterranean suggest that the artefacts from Bet Dwarka may be datable to between the 1st century BC and the 2nd century AD. The numbers of stone anchors suggests that this was an ancient anchorage.
© 2005 The Nautical Archaeology Society     

Cultural Site Formation Processes in Maritime Archaeology: Disaster Response, Salvage and Muckelroy 30 Years on

Thirty years after Muckelroy's seminal 1976 paper on shipwreck site formation, research on the cultural processes which contribute to the creation and modification of shipwrecks remains limited. It is proposed that by adopting a process-oriented framework, we can integrate and synthesize the documentary, oral and archaeological evidence of human response to shipwreck into a structure which parallels the physical progress of the disaster. Possible cultural responses to shipwreck are considered, from pre-voyage planning through to post-impact salvage, including physical correlations potentially visible in the archaeological record.
© 2006 The Author     

The Rigging and the 'Hydraulic System' of the Roman Wreck at Grado, Gorizia, Italy

The hull of the Roman wreck at Grado has been preserved under the cargo of amphoras. On the site, a lot of wooden elements of the rigging are preserved, including deadeyes, blocks, and toggles. Three possible bitts were identified, one of them sculpted; two were nailed to the hull while one was loose. Near the keel a lead tube, protected by a wooden box, has been interpreted as a bilge-pump but more probably it was a suction-pump. The tube would have been connected to a piston pump which has not survived. Possible explanations for its use are presented.
© 2005 The Nautical Archaeology Society     

The 4th‐Century‐BC Mazotos Shipwreck,Cyprus: a preliminary report

Since November 2007 an underwater project has been carried out by the Archaeological Research Unit of the University of Cyprus, in collaboration with the Department of Antiquities, at a shipwreck on the south coast, 14 miles south‐west of Larnaca. Its cargo consists mainly of Chian amphoras and has been provisionally dated to the 3rd quarter of the 4th century BC. The good state of preservation of the site gives an opportunity for studying amphora stowage and the wreck‐formation process. Moreover, it can shed new light on sea‐routes and trade between Cyprus and the Aegean during the late Classical period. © 2010 The Author     

Two Early Archaic Shipwrecks at Kekova Adası and Kepçe Burnu,Turkey

During its annual surveys of the Turkish coast in the 1970s and 1980s, the Institute of Nautical Archaeology discovered two early Archaic (7th‐ to early‐6th‐century BC) shipwrecks at Kekova Adas? (Antalya region) and Kepçe Burnu (Mu?la region); Dokuz Eylül University's Institute of Marine Science and Technology is currently involved in survey of the region. The wrecks, marked by a primary cargo of basket‐handle amphoras, indicate exchange between Cyprus and the cities of coastal Asia Minor and Corinth. Such Iron Age internationalism may have been driven by an interest in processed agricultural goods such as olive oil. © 2010 The Authors     

Using Multibeam Echo‐Sounder Data to Identify Shipwreck Sites: archaeological assessment of the Joint Irish Bathymetric Survey data

This paper describes Phase 1 of the project ‘Archaeological Applications of the Joint Irish Bathymetric Survey (JIBS) Data’, analysing bathymetric and backscatter data derived from multibeam surveys off the north coast of Ireland. In particular, the usability of the data for shipwreck detection, identification and site characterization is explored. In Phase 1, the data was screened for anomalous sea‐bed features, which were subsequently described, catalogued and categorized according to their archaeological potential and cross‐referenced against existing records. A planned second phase of this project will examine each anomaly in greater detail together with the local and regional hydrodynamic conditions. © 2010 The Authors     

The Natural Environment of the Shipwreck Vrouw Maria (1771) in the Northern Baltic Sea: an assessment of her state of preservation

Vrouw Maria, a merchant vessel sailing from Amsterdam to St Petersburg in 1771, ran aground in the northern Baltic Sea. Her cargo included Dutch works of art bought by Catherine the Great. The wreck was located in 1999, 41 m deep. This study aims to understand environmental factors and physical stresses affecting the wreck, using three different approaches—studying the wreck as an artificial reef; describing the conditions inside the wreck; and measuring the physical stresses caused by currents. The methods applied were biological, archaeological, hydrological, geological and physical. The data will be a basis for further monitoring. © 2010 The Authors     

A First Approach to Links between Animals and Life on Board Sailing Vessels (1500–1800)

Long voyages required serious logistics. Onboard meat supplies were analysed from animal remains found in shipwrecks. Here we present a bibliographical synthesis of results obtained from the study of 33 published shipwrecks in order to assess the importance of the presence of animals aboard and to underline questions still unanswered. © 2011 The Author     

泉州湾宋代海船船体微生物群落结构多样性研究

泉州湾宋代海船于1974年发掘出土,是我国发掘的第一艘体量大,年代早的远洋贸易木帆船,也是研究我国古代海外交通史、对外贸易史、造船史等不可多得的实物资料,属于国家珍贵一级文物,具有重要的保护价值。作为国内乃至亚洲大型海洋出水木质文物保护的先例,泉州湾宋代海船经过多年来综合性保护修复和开放式展览,其船体的保存现状值得关注。 微生物是造成木材降解糟朽的重要生物因素之一。微生物对木材的危害主要是木腐菌、着色菌和霉菌等真菌以及一些能够分解纤维素的细菌引起的各种损害。因此,木质文物中微生物类群的解析是众多木质文物预防性保护的重要前期基础,也是微生物病害发生时针对性高效防护的重要保障。为了了解当前泉州湾宋代海船船体中微生物的种群及分布规律,本研究采集从船头到船舱及船尾组成的25个不同区域的样品,采用新一代高通量扩增子测序技术,分析了不同木材类型组成的船体微生物的类群及分布规律,并解析当前船体中是否存在对其潜在有害的致腐微生物类群。 微生物群落组成调查与分析结果表明,船体各个部位中存在稳定且丰富的微生物类群。尽管船体不同部位的细菌和真菌群落组成具有一定的差异性,但这种差异性与船体的木材类型和所处结构位置的关联性不显著。其中船体不同保存区域中存在的优势细菌种属为不动杆菌属(Acinetobacter)(13.65%)、芽孢杆菌属(Bacillus)(6.88%)和假单胞菌属(Pseudomonas)(3.69%),优势真菌为枝孢霉属(Cladosporium)(12.26%)、假丝酵母菌属(Candida)(5.93%)和扁孔腔菌属(Lophiostoma)(5.66%)。本次检测分析发现的芽孢杆菌属、链球菌属、枝孢霉属和曲霉属均可降解木材纤维素,这些微生物在一定环境条件下生长爆发则会威胁船体的保存,具有一定的潜在隐患。因此,在后续该船体的保护中应该定期对船体进行微生物病害防治处理,严格控制船体的展存环境温湿度,以益于船体的长期保存。 本研究首次系统地解析泉州湾宋代海船船体各个部位的微生物群落结构组成,同时也对泉州海外交通史博物馆当前对该船体的开放式展览微生物病害风险进行评估,为后续该船体微生物病害的预防性保护工作提供重要的参考。