Shipwreck 43 and the formation of the ship graveyard in the central basin at Thonis-Heraclion, Egypt

Summary

Investigations into the submerged port-city of Thonis-Heraclion by the European Institute for Underwater Archaeology, under the direction of Franck Goddio, have revealed a complex maritime landscape. Topographic and geoarchaeological research at this site has revealed the shape of the port, the major monumental structures of the city and how it all came to be submerged, as well as the wrecks of sixty-four ancient ships dating from the 8th to the 2nd centuries BC. This paper will investigate a cluster of shipwrecks with particular concentration on shipwreck 43, which is currently undergoing excavation by the University of Oxford. The formation processes of this ship graveyard and an interpretation of why so many vessels were wrecked in this particular location will be offered. This will be enmeshed within the history of this site at the end of Egypt’s turbulent Late Period.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Formation Processes of Maritime Archaeological Landscapes and Sites   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2013

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 324