A preliminary report on ophthalmoi from the Tektas Burnu shipwreck

Ophthalmoi , or ship's eyes, were a common decoration adorning the bows of ancient Greek ships. Athenian naval records and archaeological finds from Piraeus attest to ophthalmoi taking the form of marble appliqués on Greek warships of the Classical Period. Evidence for the use of marble ophthalmoi on Classical merchantmen has only recently come to light. The Institute of Nautical Archaeology's 1999 and 2000 excavation campaigns at Tektag Burnu yielded two marble discs decorated to resemble eyes. These are the actual ophthalmoi of a Classical Period merchantman: the first known from an ancient shipwreck and the earliest archaeological examples of this decorative element.