Lecture
Sailing the Hellenistic Mediterranean: The Archaeology of the Kyrenia Ship
- Date
- Friday 2 October 2026
- Time
- Location
-
Van Steenis
Einsteinweg 2
2333 CC Leiden - Room
- E0.03B
Abstract
The Kyrenia Ship, a Greek merchant vessel, wrecked off Cyprus around 294 BCE and discovered with its wooden hull largely intact and cargo still in place. The wreck and its associated material have been the subject of archaeological investigation since the late 60s, yielding exceptional insights into Hellenistic maritime trade, seafaring and shipbuilding.
The wreck contained approximately 400 amphorae, predominantly Rhodian wine jars but also vessels originating from other regions, together with cargoes that included almonds and millstones. Equally illuminating are the ship’s structural remains: the nearly intact lower hull reveals classical shipbuilding techniques (shell-first construction with planks fastened together with pegged mortise-and-tenon joinery) and innovative features like protective lead hull sheathing—the earliest known example of this practice. Beyond such technical data, the Kyrenia Shipwreck encapsulates the broader economic and cultural networks of the ancient Mediterranean, as its contents illustrate how seaborne trade knitted together distant communities and facilitated the exchange of goods and ideas across the Hellenistic world. As a singular underwater site, the Kyrenia Ship exemplifies the potential of maritime archaeology to enrich our understanding of ancient trade, technology, and connectivity in the late 4th and early 3rd century BCE.