The Yassıada Byzantine Shipwreck

The Yassıada Byzantine Shipwreck was a 7th-century ship, 20 meters long and 5.22 meters wide, carrying around (900-1000) amphorae. It had about 60 tons capacity.

The ¼ width and length ratios gave the ship an elongated form giving additional speed to the vessel.

 The ship was carrying large spherical amphoras with a capacity of 40 liters and small 9-liter amphoras.

 The ship possibly belonged to a monastery and captain Georgios, an elderly priest whose name is written on the scale.

 The Byzantine Shipwreck was excavated between 1961 and 1964, with 3533 dives by a diving team of 12 divers.

 The ship sank by colliding with the shallows near Yassıada in 626 AD, while wars shook the Byzantine Empire. The gold and copper coins found on the ship indicated that the ship sank during the reign of Emperor Heraclitus.

 Post-excavation work on artifacts, spread over a slope and at a depth ranging from 32 to 36 meters, took 18 years.

 After examining the tiles and kitchen utensils found in the shipwreck in Yassıada, archeologists thought a kitchen was on the ship.

 Archeologists found fishing nets, weights, a harpoon used for fishing, and a large scale with Georgios’ inscription on the ship.

Archeologists discovered Sixteen gold and 54 copper coins dating from Emperor Heraclitus’s time, helping to date the ship. According to the newest coin on board the vessel, the boat is dated 626 AD.

 Another exciting find on the ship is called the “wine thief,” used to draw wine from the amphora without tilting it.

 The ship was built with the Shell first technique used up to the water level, and Above the waterline, it was completed with the “keel first technique.”