#MAREMonday 19

On 06.02.2023 we present the 19th session of our online lecture series with a contribution by

Dimitra Voutyrea,
(Korseai Institute. Institute of Historical & Archaeological Research)

Fortuitous shipwrecks in a Mare Incognitum? An integrated analysis of Late Roman Pontic Cargoes in Fournoi Archipelago (Aegean).

Abstract:

The five-year underwater archaeological survey of Fournoi Archipelago (2015-2018, 2020) revealed traces of fifty-eight (58) shipwrecks from a wide timeframe (Archaic period -20th century). Among them, three unorthodox Late Roman cargoes (3, 12, and 15) appear to be of high scientific value. Preliminary observations and typological study of the raised samples indicate a Pontic provenance for the majority of the amphorae, with a minority presence of Eastern Mediterranean types within the assemblages. Despite the initial stage of investigations, many details have already emerged via macroscopic observations on fabrics, while thin-section analyses of the archaeological material are shedding light on the delicate matter of Black Sea manufacture centers. In 2021, the site known as Shipwreck 15, a well-preserved complex lying at a depth of 42 to 50m, underwent the first season of excavation, revealing new evidence about its load. Numerical tools such as 3D photogrammetry and GIS were applied for the intra-site spatial analysis of the wreck-site.

The significance of these shipwrecks lies particularly in their uniqueness, as they constitute the only known Pontic consignments of this kind to be found in the Mediterranean. Even though the distributed archaeological evidence testifies the existence of trade between the Black Sea territories and the Mediterranean during the period under examination, an overall synthesis is missing. Taking as a starting point the shipwrecks of Fournoi, the present study aims to analyze and reevaluate, through using amphorae as key evidence, the size of trade, its patterns and the tradable commodities exported from the Black Sea towards the Aegean and far beyond in the Late Antiquity.