Uluburun Shipwreck

Türkiye · Antalya

ShipwreckExcavation completed
Approximate period1,335 BCE — 1,305 BCELate Bronze Age; INA's approximate date range for the sinking See on the map ↓

In brief

The Uluburun shipwreck off Kaş was excavated over 11 seasons between 1984-1994. Its cargo of copper, tin, glass and luxury goods demonstrates the extent of Late Bronze Age Mediterranean trade.

What was found?

  • 1Copper and tin ingots

    The ship carried copper and tin in a 10:1 ratio suitable for bronze production. The cargo shows that metal raw materials were transported in bulk by sea.

  • 2Raw glass ingots

    Unworked glass ingots were among the ship's cargo of raw materials. They document that glass did not circulate solely as finished objects.

  • 3Gold-covered bronze female figure

    The figure was cast using the lost-wax technique and covered with gold. According to researchers, its posture and gestures may depict a goddess.

  • 4Carved ivory vessels

    The cargo included finely worked ivory vessels. They show that objects intended for elite buyers were transported alongside valuable raw materials.

  • 5Cedar ship's hull

    The surviving hull fragments show that the timbers were joined with mortise-and-tenon joints and secured with pegs. They allow Late Bronze Age shipbuilding to be studied directly.

What does it point to?

Uluburun makes visible an extensive maritime transport network in which raw materials and valuable objects were carried on the same ship. According to researchers, the cargo was connected with the trade and gift-exchange relationships of wealthy merchants or rulers.

What did it teach us?

  1. It showed that Mediterranean connections in the Late Bronze Age relied on intensive maritime transport.
  2. It documented that copper and tin were shipped together for bronze production.
  3. The hull remains provided direct evidence of the period's timber-joining techniques.

Images

Uluburun copper ingot oxhide shaped
Zunkir · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Uluburun tin ingot partial slab shaped
Zunkir · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Uluburun1
Martin Bahmann · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Record

Culture
Eastern Mediterranean; Syrian-Canaanite; Cypriot; Mycenaean connections
First modern dig
1984
Team / historical
Institute of Nautical Archaeology
Coordinates
36.1286°, 29.6858°

Sources

  1. nauticalarch.org
  2. metmuseum.org
  3. en.wikipedia.org

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