Ancient Aegean and Mediterranean Maritime Cultures: Bronze Age to Classical Greece

What is the Cycladic Culture period?

Early Bronze Age (EBA)

What is the estimated length of the Cycladic boats?

18 m (60 ft)

What type of vessels were depicted in Cycladic 'frying pans'?

Paddled boats

What significant event occurred around 2,200 BC in the Aegean?

Invasion of Greece by Indo-Europeans

What replaced arsenic in making bronze during the EBA III?

Tin

What civilization rose around 2,000 BC in the Aegean?

Minoan civilization

What is the significance of the eruption of Thera?

Center of Thera sank 366 m below sea level

What were the Thera Frescoes associated with?

Religious festivals and the sailing season

What type of shipwreck was the Cape Gelidonya?

Late Bronze Age shipwreck

Who excavated the Cape Gelidonya shipwreck?

George F. Bass

What was the primary cargo of the Uluburun shipwreck?

354 copper oxhide ingots

What types of ingots were found in the Uluburun shipwreck?

Oxhide, bun, and tin oxhide ingots

What was the master of the Cape Gelidonya ship likely to be?

A traveling tinker

What was the purpose of the dunnage found in the Uluburun shipwreck?

Packing material for cargo

What types of materials were found in the Uluburun shipwreck?

Copper, tin, glass ingots, and organic contents

What is the significance of the Tomb of Rekh-mi-re?

It provides insights into trade and materials in the 18th dynasty

What were the Thera boat features that indicate archaism?

Paddling instead of rowing and stern projections

What was the cargo of the Cape Gelidonya shipwreck primarily composed of?

Scrap bronze tools and copper/tin ingots

What type of archaeological excavation was first conducted at Cape Gelidonya?

Scientific excavation of a shipwreck

What was the average weight of the discoid glass ingots found?

5 lbs

What colors of glass ingots were found in the Uluburun shipwreck?

Cobalt blue, light blue, purple, yellow

What was the purpose of the ceremonial features depicted in the Thera frescoes?

To celebrate the return of spring and the sailing season

What is the scientific name for ebony logs?

Dalbergia melanoxylon

What are large storage jars used in ancient times called?

Pithoi

What is a ceremonial drinking cup called that is often in the form of a ram's head?

Rhyton

What unique gold artifact is inscribed with 'the exquisite beauty of Aten, Nefertiti'?

Gold scarab of Egyptian Queen Nefertiti

What type of weights were found in ancient shipwrecks?

Pan-balance weights

What type of oil lamps indicated the crew's preference?

Canaanite oil lamps

What materials were used for the hull of ancient ships?

Lebanese cedar

What was the cargo of the Syrian merchant venture from the Tomb of Kenamun?

Diverse and rich cargo including copper, tin, glass, and resin

What was the value of the cargo in silver shekels?

5,850 shekels

What were the three great seafaring peoples in the Mediterranean between the end of the Bronze Age and the Hellenistic Period?

Phoenicians, Greeks, Etruscans

What is the term for the Phoenician merchant ship known for long-distance trade?

Gaulos

What type of ship did the Romans refer to as 'Round ships'?

Phoenician ships

What is the name of the shipwreck discovered in 1961 by a diver instructor?

Giglio Wreck

What type of helmet was found during the excavation of the Giglio Wreck?

Corinthian helmet

What were the earliest examples of brailed sails found in the Giglio Wreck?

Lead brailing rings

What was the original length of the ship from the Giglio Wreck?

Approximately 25 meters (82 feet)

What is the name of the shipwreck discovered in 1985, south of Haifa, Israel?

Ma'agan Mikhael

What type of joints were used in the hull of the Ma'agan Mikhael ship?

Mortise-and-tenon joints

What was the average thickness of the hull planking in the Ma'agan Mikhael ship?

4 cm (1.6 in)

What type of materials were used for lacing in earlier ships?

Grass or rush-like plant

What is the significance of the wooden key found in the Giglio Wreck?

It has an illegible inscription in archaic Greek letters

What were the Etruscan amphoras found in the Giglio Wreck used to carry?

Pine pitch, olives, and wine

What type of writing board was found in the Giglio Wreck?

Writing board with beeswax surface

What type of cargo did the Giglio Wreck carry?

Metal cargo including copper and lead ingots

What is the term for the process of aligning planks in shipbuilding?

Lacing

What was the purpose of the waterproofing strip in ancient shipbuilding?

For caulking plank seams

What is the estimated length of the Porticello ship?

19-22 meters (62-72 feet)

What construction technique was used for Greek ships?

Laced planking construction

What materials were used for the frames of Greek ships?

Light timbers and widely-spaced frames

What was found in the stern of the Porticello ship?

Cooking and table wares, oil lamps, Athenian black-glazed pottery, food baskets

What tools were included in the carpenter's tool basket on the ship?

Bow drills, whetstone, lead plumb bob, ruler, chisels, carpenter's square, spare tenons and pegs, mallets, and awl

When was the Porticello site excavated?

1970

What type of joints were used in the construction of the Porticello ship?

Pegged mortise-and-tenon joints

What was the thickness of the hull planks in the Porticello ship?

6.5 cm (2.5 inches)

What metal was first used for fastening frames to hull planking?

Copper nails

What type of pottery was found on the Porticello ship?

Athenian black-glazed pottery

What was the cargo of the Porticello ship primarily composed of?

Amphoras for wine and likely salted fish

Where is Peparethos located?

Northern Sporades, Aegean

What was significant about the Kyrenia shipwreck?

It is the earliest and most complete exclusively mortise-and-tenon built ship

What was the depth at which the Kyrenia ship was discovered?

30 meters (90-100 feet)

How many amphoras did the Kyrenia ship carry?

404 amphoras of 10 different types

What type of stone were the millstones found in the Kyrenia ship made from?

Volcanic stone (andesite from Nisyros island)

What types of food items were found on the Kyrenia ship?

Almonds, garlic cloves, fig seeds

What was the optimal crew size for operating the Kyrenia ship?

4 crew members

What type of artifacts were recovered from the Porticello shipwreck?

Bronze statues, silver, and cooking wares

What is the significance of the bronze head found in the Porticello shipwreck?

It is a masterpiece of 5th century Greek sculptural art

What was the historical impact of the Porticello shipwreck?

It illustrates the loss of historical information due to looting but also the potential for learning from excavated wrecks.

What is the length of the Kyrenia ship?

14 m (47 ft)

What is the breadth of the Kyrenia ship?

4.2 m (14.5 ft)

What is the length-to-breadth ratio of the Kyrenia ship?

3.3:1

What is the total displacement of the Kyrenia ship?

33 tons

How much burden can the Kyrenia ship carry?

25 tons

What type of keel does the Kyrenia ship have?

Rockered keel (12 x 20 cm/5 x 8 in)

How many mortise-and-tenon joints are in each garboard strake of the Kyrenia ship?

78 mortise-and-tenon joints

What is the average center-to-center spacing between frames in the Kyrenia ship?

25 cm (10 in)

How many original frames survive in the Kyrenia ship?

41 of 56 original frames

What is the thickness of the bottom planks in the Kyrenia ship?

4 cm (1.5 in)

What is the thickness of the upper planks in the Kyrenia ship?

3 cm (1.2 in)

What is the thickness of the main wale of the Kyrenia ship?

8 cm (3 in)

What is the thickness of the upper wale of the Kyrenia ship?

6.5 cm (2.5 in)

What shape is the hull profile of the Kyrenia ship?

Wine-glass shaped hull profile

What material covered the entire hull of the Kyrenia ship?

1 mm-thick lead sheathing

Who built the Pantheon?

Emperor Hadrian

When was the Pantheon built?

Between AD 118 and 125

What was the Pantheon dedicated to?

The worship of every god

What is significant about the Pantheon in terms of architecture?

It is the largest Ancient dome and the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome.

What type of concrete was used in Roman architecture?

Hydraulic Concrete made of pozzolana and lime

Where was the finest application of hydraulic concrete found?

King Herod's Harbor at Caesarea Maritima

What was the original name of the harbor built by Emperor Claudius?

Portus

What was the area of the Claudian Harbor?

200,000 m² (239,000 yd²)

What was the monumental lighthouse at Portus modeled after?

The Pharos of Alexandria

What type of ship was the navis oneraria?

A ship of burden (sail-driven merchantman)

What is a corbita?

A very beamy, ovoid ship

What was the cargo capacity of the Madrague de Giens ship?

400 tons burden

What is a trireme?

A ship with 3 banks of rowers

Who is believed to have invented the trireme?

Corinthians or possibly Phoenicians

What was the crew size of a 4th-5th century BC trireme?

200 men

How many rowers were there in a trireme?

170 rowers