The Archaeological Significance and Important Details

What is the Uluburun Shipwreck?

The Uluburun Shipwreck is a vessel of the Late Bronze Age which was found off the coast of Uluburun (Grand Cape) near Kaş in Turkey. The shipwreck took place in the Mediterranean Sea and is dated to the late 14th century BCE. It is regarded as among the most important archaeological finds in maritime history. The discovery dates back to 1982 when a local sponge diver named Mehmed Çakir discovered it and it was excavated between 1984 and 1994 by the Institute of Nautical Archaeology. 

The Archaeological Importance

Trade and Cultural Exchange:

The cargo of the ship shows the face of Late Bronze Age wide-ranging trade. It brought materials from several regions, such as the Aegean, Cyprus, Egypt, and the Levant.

Found goods include copper and tin ingots (from which bronze is made), Canaanite jars, ivory, glass beads, and Mycenaean pottery.

Technological Insights:

The construction of the ship in Lebanese cedar, with pegged mortise-and-tenon joint construction, gives insight into ancient shipbuilding.

Historic Context:

Artifacts, which include a scarab with the name of Egyptian queen Nefertiti, help date the shipwreck but also put it in the political and economic picture of the time.

Preservation and Study:

Depths of 44-61 meters have rendered the shipwreck immune to looters but it remains accessible for archaeologists in the exploration of more than 17 tons of artifacts that provide a great deal of data on Bronze Age maritime trade and culture.

Location:

It is about 50m from the eastern shores of Uluburun and off Kaş, Turkey. That is, the site is rather depth at 44 to 61 meters in the Mediterranean Sea, so it can be accessed only by divers who have experience.

Critch & TC

Sources:

Uluburun Shipwreck – World History Encyclopedia