Uluburun Shipwreck

The Uluburun Shipwreck was found in 1982, six miles (10km) off Kas on the coast of southern Turkey, and lies about half way on the route between Cyprus and Rhodes.
The vessel dates from c. 1,300 BCE and may have been sailing from Cyprus to Greece. The mixed cargo came from a combination of Cyprus, Egypt and the Levant.

A model of the vessel is located in the Uluburun Shipwreck Hall along with various artefacts.

The ship was constructed from Cedars of Lebanon and carried 24 stone anchors.
The length was between 49-51 ft (15-16m) long, and it was built using the shell first method with mortice and tenon joints, in the same way that the later Greek and Roman vessels were built.

No agreement has been reached as to which country owned the vessel, nor its exact route. The artefacts found in the cargo have Mycenaean, Cypriot, Canaanite, Assyrian, Kassite and Egyptian origins.
It is possible that the vessel started up the Nile before stopping off at ports on the Levant coast including Cyprus, whilst en-route to mainland Greece.

Over 18,000 artefacts have been catalogued from the wreck.
From Cyprus:
- 350 Ingots of Copper weighing 6 tons, from Cyprus.
- 40 Ingots of Tin weighing 1 ton. Possibly from the Kestel Tin Mines in the Taurus Mountains, but suggestions have been made that they also possibly came from Afghanistan or Spain.
- 10 large Cypriote Pithoi 4 ft 3 inches (130cm) high, of which three held fine Cypriote Vases.
- Cypriot Oil Lamps.
From the Levant:
- 149 Canaanite Amphorae (which are found in Greece, Cyprus, the Levant and Egypt):
  - Olives
  - Glass Beads
  - 1 ton of Terebinth Tree resin, a type of Turpentine made from the Terebinth Tree. Now thought to have come from Egypt.
- 175 Glass Ingots, probably from Egypt.
- Several Silver Canaanite Scarabs.
Possibly from Mycenaean Greece:
- Various weapons including 4 swords of the Canaanite-Mycenaean type.
- A Stone Axe of Bulgarian origin.
From Egypt:
- Blackwood or ‘Ebony’ Logs from Africa.
- Elephant Tusks, from Africa.
- Hippopotamus teeth, from Africa.
- Turtle shells, probably from the Red Sea.
- Ostrich Eggshells, from Africa.
- A collection of 37 Gold pieces including a Gold Scarab bearing the name of Nefertiti.
- Jewellery, pendants, beads and bracelets from Egypt.
- Other objects made from Precious metals and Stones.
Undetermined origin:
- Food consisting of pomegranates, almonds, olives, acorns, figs, black cumin, coriander and pine nuts.
- The first known example of a Wax Tablet used for writing on.

Kas, Turkey