Dowels as a Means of Edge-to-Edge Joinery in the 9th-century AD Vessel from Bozburun, Turkey

After the excavation of the 9th-century AD merchantman from Bozburun, Turkey, from 1995 to 1998, examination of the preserved hull material revealed a method of using dowels embedded in the plank edge to join hull planking together. This method has not previously been recorded in the early medieval Mediterranean. The article discusses the characteristics of the joints in the hull planking of the Bozburun vessel, and considers its role in the transition from the shell-first to frame-first methods of assembly.
© 2005 The Nautical Archaeology Society     

The Yenikapı 12 Shipwreck,a 9th‐Century Merchantman from the Theodosian Harbour in Istanbul,Turkey: construction and reconstruction

Shipwreck Yenikap? 12 was discovered in Yenikap?, Istanbul, Turkey in 2007 during rescue excavations carried out by Istanbul Archaeological Museums. The majority of the bottom of the shipwreck, found within the sediment‐filled Theodosian Harbour, is intact and part of the cargo was found in situ. According to the results of reconstruction studies, YK12 was a small merchantman working coastal waters, approximately 9.24m in length and 2.64m in breadth. The shipwreck is dated to the 9th century AD and was built with a mixed construction using the shell‐based method for the lower hull.     

The Post Medieval Gravellona Toce Boat: an inland watercraft from north‐west Italy assembled using locked dowels

Discovered in 1955, not far from the Roman necropolis of Pedemonte, the Gravellona Toce boat has long been considered evidence of Roman‐period riverine navigation in northern Italy. This initial interpretation, which was not supported by direct dating evidence, has been recently reconsidered on the basis of radiocarbon‐dating and analysis of the timbers retrieved. In this paper, the authors present the results of the recent analysis of the surviving remains which allow the vessel to be interpreted as a post medieval boat built using the traditional bottom‐based construction techniques of the Po Valley region.