Phoenician and Carthaginian Shipwrecks (17 October 2025)
Presented Online
Nicholas Hardwick
The Phoenicians were a significant seafaring and trading people, whose homeland was in the area of present day Lebanon and whose activities stretched throughout the Mediterranean Sea and into the Atlantic Ocean. Thus, it is understandable that a number of Phoenician shipwrecks have been discovered, which are evidence of their important role in the history of the region.
The largest Phoenician colony, Carthage, which was situated in North Africa in present day Tunisia, had an extensive maritime empire in the western Mediterranean region, which was at its height during the third century BC. Its trading and naval activities, especially during the three Punic Wars fought between Rome and Carthage during the third and second centuries, also resulted in significant shipwrecks.
The adjective ‘Punic’, meaning ‘Carthaginian’, comes from the Latin adjective ‘Punicus’, which is derived from the Latin name for the Carthaginians, ‘Poeni’. This in turn comes from the Greek name of the Phoenicians, derived from the Greek word phoinix, which means ‘purple’, because of the purple dye which they traded. Thus, their descendants, the Carthaginians, are also considered by the Romans to be the people who traded the purple dye.
This lecture considers a number of Phoenician and Carthaginian shipwrecks from throughout the Mediterranean Sea. It also considers other wrecks in the region in order to place the Phoenician and Carthaginian shipwrecks in their historical context. All dates in the lecture are BC, unless otherwise noted.
Several ships have been discovered close to Phoenicia itself. Two Phoenician ships were discovered off the coast of Israel in 1999, dated c.750, found at a depth of more than 300 m with the use of advanced deep-sea sonar equipment. This was the first time that this investigative technique was used for detecting shipwrecks and they are the oldest wrecks found in deep sea. One is 18 m in length and the other about 14.5 m in length. Several stone anchors were found in the wrecks. The ships were probably travelling with a cargo of wine amphorae from Phoenicia to Egypt or Carthage.
In 2016, near Tel Achziv, just south of the border of Lebanon, the sherds of two amphorae, dated to the fourth century, were found in the sea. One has a Phoenician inscription, which includes the words ‘of the Sidonians’, that is, the people of the Phoenician city of Sidon, and the clay of both sherds was analysed and found to be from the region of Tyre and Sidon. The inscription was probably written by a semiliterate sailor. Traces of resin inside one of the amphorae suggest that it contained wine.
Off south-west coast of Turkey, a shipwreck of the Late Bronze Age (1550–1200) has been discovered. The Cape Gelidonya wreck, discovered in 1954 and excavated from 1960, is dated about c.1200, was found at a depth of 26-8 m, and the ship was about 8 m in length. Its mortise and tenon joints, which are used to hold together the planks of the hull, are important for our knowledge of ship construction. Its cargo, of a Mycenaean, that is, late second millennium, Greek provenance, included copper and tin ingots and scrap metal bronze tools, as well as stone tools for metal working. The ship is likely to be Canaanite or early Phoenician, but possibly Cypriot. It was the first scientifically excavated shipwreck, and helped to establish the discipline of underwater archaeology.
The wreck of a Phoenician trading ship was found at Gozo, which is the second largest island in Malta. Located in Xlendi Bay at the south-west of the island, it is dated to the seventh century. It was discovered in 2007, and excavation began in 2014. Since the wreck is at a depth of 110 m, the excavation is significant because it is the first time that divers worked in an excavation at a depth of over 100 m.
The wreck is significant because the ship seems to have sunk virtually intact. It is about 12 m in length and its cargo includes amphorae, urns and unworked grinding stones, known as saddle querns, which were used for the preparation of food. Analysis of the stones has determined that they come from a quarry on the island of Pantelleria in the Strait of Sicily to the north-west of Malta.
In Spain, the Bajo de la Campana Phoenician shipwreck, off the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, near Cartagena, which is dated to the seventh century, was discovered in 1958 and excavated in 2007-11. It is the first certain Phoenician wreck to be excavated and was found at a depth of 16 m, and is 20 m in length. Its cargo contained luxury items, such as 64 elephant ivory tusks, with many having Phoenician inscriptions, and amber from northern Europe from the Baltic region. It had twenty-eight tin ingots and two copper ingots, which are for the production of bronze. There were personal items which belonged to the crew, remains of the fabric of the boat and round ballast stones. It was a trading vessel from the eastern Mediterranean region, which brought luxury items to the Iberian Peninsula. Since it is dated between 850-600, it is the earliest known Phoenician shipwreck.
At Bajo de la Campana, there are also a Punic ship, dated to the second century, and a Roman ship, dated to the first century AD.
Two Phoenician shipwrecks, found near Mazarrón on the Mediterranean coast of south-east Spain, are dated to the late seventh or sixth century. The site was identified in 1988, and one wreck, known as Mazarrón I, was identified in July 1991, and was recovered in 1993. It was found at a depth of 2.5 m, is 8.2 m in length, and has well preserved hull timbers. The other wreck, known as Mazarrón II, was discovered in 1994 and was recovered in November 2024. It was found at a depth of 2 m, and is 8.1 m in length. It was better preserved than the first ship, and, indeed, is the most complete ancient shipwreck so far discovered. It is constructed of fig tree wood, and is important for our knowledge of shipbuilding techniques, since it has mortise and tenon joints, and sewn seams. It has an anchor made of wood and lead, which is the earliest true anchor to have been found. As well as other items, such as ceramics, the cargo of both vessels was primarily blocks of lithage, that is, the mineral remains from refining, for silver production.
A number of shipwrecks are Carthaginian, including some from the Punic Wars. The Battle of the Aegates was a naval battle fought in 241, near the Aegates Islands off the west coast of Sicily. It resulted in a Roman victory, which led to the end of the First Punic War (264-41). A recent important discovery on the sea bed has been the bronze rams from the prows of Roman and Carthaginian ships which took part in this battle, and have writing on them in Latin and in Punic respectively. Found at depths of around 70-90 m, and recovered from the early 2000s until the present, so far twenty-seven rams have been discovered, and ten have Latin lettering and two have Punic. Other objects, including anchors, helmets, lead sling bullets and amphorae, have also been discovered. It is the earliest known assemblage of Roman and Carthaginian military objects.
It is the first site of an ancient naval battle to be well documented and the find of the rams is important because previously only very few rams were known from antiquity. These finds are historically important because, despite the large amount of archaeological material surviving from antiquity, there are rarely finds which can be directly linked to major events in the literary record, such as battles.
The Marsala Punic shipwreck, discovered in 1969, comprises two wrecks, which are dated to the third century, and is located near the western coast of Sicily. One is a military galley, and the other is a probably merchant ship. The wrecks are dated to the third century by radio-carbon dating of the timber and by the form of the Punic inscriptions, which are written on them. Found at a depth of 2.5 m, the first was 35 m in length, and its structural elements and contents were not like those of a merchant ship. It is thus interpreted as being a military galley and is possibly linked to the Battle of the Aegates in 241. The former ship has been reconstructed in the Regional Archaeological Museum Baglio Anselmi in Marsala, whereas the latter has been left on the seabed.
These Phoenician and Carthaginian shipwrecks can be considered in the wider context of other wrecks in the Mediterranean Sea, which are described here in chronological order. The Dokos shipwreck, near the island of Dokos in the Argo-Saronic Gulf, in southern Greece, discovered in 1975, and excavated between 1989-92, is a Greek shipwreck, dated to 2700–2200, and is the earliest known underwater shipwreck. It was found at a depth of 15-30 m and nothing remains of the ship itself. Its cargo largely contained hundreds of ceramic objects, which were handmade and date before the invention of the pottery wheel. This pottery is likely to have been produced for trade in this region of Greece. It also had two stone anchors, lead ingots and millstones, which were used as ballast.
Off south-west coast of Turkey, in addition to the Cape Gelidonya wreck described above, a shipwreck of the Late Bronze Age (1550–1200) has been discovered. The Uluburun wreck, discovered in 1982, and excavated between 1984-94, is dated to the late fourteenth century, Found at a depth of 46 m, the ship was about 16 m in length and constructed of Lebanese cedar and oak. It was an elite shipment, comprising over 500 copper ingots and tin ingots in the usual ratio of 10:1 for the production of bronze. It also had many varied luxury items, including gold objects, and twenty-four stone anchors. It provides evidence of an extensive trading network in the Mediterranean region at the time.
Initially surveyed in 1973, the wrecks at Kekova Adasi and Kepçe Burnu, near the south-west coast of Turkey, are Greek ships, which date to the eighth to sixth centuries. The cargo of the former comprised many Greek amphorae from Cyprus, Corinth and Samos, as well as two mortaria, that is, shallow bowls for the preparation of food. The cargo of the latter also contained amphorae. The wrecks provide evidence for exchange between Cyprus, Greece and Turkey.
At Pabuç Burnu, in south-west Turkey, a Greek shipwreck, dated to the sixth century, was found in 2001 and excavated in 2002-3. The cargo comprised a large amount of pottery, and a stone anchor was discovered. Significant remains of the wooden hull were found. The hull is notable for its contribution to our knowledge of construction techniques, since it shows the transition from lacing to mortise and tenon joinery.
Near Saint-Tropez, on the Mediterranean coast of France, the Bon-Porté A shipwreck, which was found in 1971, is dated c.530-25. It is about 12 m in length and its construction method is significant because it has the planks of the hull sewn together, which differs from other Greco-Roman methods of construction, and suggests that it has a Greek origin. It contained thirty wine amphorae carrying Greek and Etruscan wine.
The Ma'agan Michael Ship, which was found in 1985 off the coast of Israel, is dated to the fifth century, is Cypriot in origin and from the time of the peak of the Phoenician maritime trade. It was found at a depth of 2 m, and is a single-masted cargo vessel, which measured 11 m in length. The wooden hull was very well preserved and underwent a lengthy and complex conservation process. It contained stone ballast, mainly from Euboea in Greece, and also from southern Cyprus. Its anchor has survived and is made of oak from a single piece of timber. Its contents also included rope, cosmetic cases, woodworking tools, pottery and food. A replica was built and launched in 2017.
The Tektaş Burnu shipwreck, off the centre of the western coast of Turkey, is a Greek ship, dated c.440-25, which was excavated in 1999-2001. Lying at a depth of 45 m, it contained over 200 transport amphorae, other ceramic objects from East Greece and two round marble ophthalmoi (ships’ eyes), which were attached to either side of the prow of the vessel. The remains of the hull have provided evidence for ship construction. It is important because it is the only known trading vessel to survive intact from the time of the height of the Athenian Empire, that is, the empire which the Greek city-state of Athens had in the region of the Aegean Sea during the fifth century.
The Kyrenia wreck, found off the northern coast of Cyprus, at a depth of 33 m, which was first discovered in 1965 and rediscovered and excavated from 1967-9, is a Greek trading vessel dated to the fourth century, which sunk shortly after 294. Its final voyage probably originated in the Greek island of Rhodes and it was manned by a crew of four. It was carrying 381 transport amphorae, the great majority of which were from Rhodes, which contained wine, olive oil and almonds. There were twenty-nine millstones used as ballast, which probably came from a quarry on the Greek island of Cos. Over 300 lead net weights indicate that the sailors fished for food.
The ship is important for our knowledge of ancient ship construction. It had a square sail, its wooden hull is covered with lead sheeting in order to protect it from the sea and remains of an anchor were found. Its preserved size is 14 m in length and 4.2 m in width, and it is on display in Kyrenia Castle, and it well known because, since its discovery, three replicas have been constructed and have been displayed in different parts of the world.
It is notable that the wrecks described in this lecture have been discovered and excavated in recent years. This is because of a greater amount of activity in underwater exploration, and the improvement in recovery techniques and underwater excavation as a result of technological developments.
Two items in the museum’s collection are related to the subject of this lecture. One is the ink stand, Inv. No. TMA 1320/12/33, dated to the late 20th century AD, and made of wood and brass, 13 cm in length, which has the added decoration of an enamelled brass Phoenician gallery, and the other is the model of ship, Inv. No. TMA 1320/12/36, dated to the late 20th century AD, and made of wood, cotton and steel, which is similar to a number of the ships described in this lecture.
The Phoenician and Carthaginian shipwrecks, which are described in this lecture, are important evidence for the maritime trade and naval activities of the Phoenicians and their major colony, Carthage. They provide evidence of ship construction and sailing techniques, and the contents, which they contained, give us an understanding of trade and of naval practices in the ancient Mediterranean world.
Sources:
General: New Perspectives on Phoenician Sailing | The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Cape Gelidonya: Cape Gelidonya Late Bronze Age Shipwreck Excavation - Institute of Nautical Archaeology
The Cape Gelidonya Shipwreck Project - Near Eastern Archaeology Foundation
Gozo: The Phoenician Shipwreck Project
Bajo de la Campana: Bajo de la Campana Iron Age Shipwreck Excavation - Institute of Nautical Archaeology
Mazarrón: Ancient shipwreck dating back at least 2,600 years is raised from waters off Spain - CBS News
Aegates Islands: The shipwrecks rewriting ancient history
S. Tusa, et al., 'The Battle of the Aegates Islands, 241 BC: mapping a naval encounter, 2005–2019', Ch. 16, in C. Prescott, et al., eds, Trinacria, 'An Island Outside Time': International Archaeology in Sicily (Oxford and Philadelphia, 2021), pp. 167-80. EgadiBattle-Campbell2021.pdf
Marsala: The Punic Ship of Marsala - Honor Frost Foundation
Dokos: Dokos Shipwreck: The oldest shipwreck ever discovered
Uluburun: Uluburun Late Bronze Age Shipwreck Excavation - Institute of Nautical Archaeology
Kekova Adasi and Kepçe Burnu: Kekova Survey - Institute of Nautical Archaeology
Pabuç Burnu, Turkey: Pabuç Burnu Shipwreck Excavation - Institute of Nautical Archaeology
Bon-Porté A: L'épave de Bon-Porté et les Bateaux Cousus de Méditerranée
Ma'agan Michael: Maagan Michael Ship, 4th-5th century BCE | Center for Online Judaic Studies
Tektaş Burnu: Tektaş Burnu Classical Greek Shipwreck Excavation - Institute of Nautical Archaeology
Kyrenia: Kyrenia Shipwreck Excavation - Institute of Nautical Archaeology