Bozburun Byzantine Shipwreck Excavation
The Bozburun ("gray cape") site lies at the base of a cliff, called Kucuven Burnu, on a sloping, sandy bottom. The visible portion of the site is a mound of amphoras approximately 20 meters long and 8 meters wide, although there are many artifacts lying in the rocks of the cliff face. The upper end of the primary mound, hard against the base of the cliff, lies at a depth of 26 meters. The last visible amphoras at the far end lie at approximately 34 meters, although it is apparent that material continues under the sand. The lowest datum points currently established lie at 36 meters.
The amphoras appear to be of two major classes common toward the end of the first millennium AD. The dominant class, are often referred to as "pyriform" (pear-shaped) or "ovoid" (egg-shaped) and are characterized by a tapering, ribbed body with rounded shoulders and round bottom without a foot; the neck is relatively tall and narrow, with a heavy, distinct rim, and the wide handles rise from the upper shoulder to just below the rim. The best parallels found so far are dated to the second half of the ninth century and come from kiln sites in the Crimea. The second class, noticeably shorter, with a wide, flaring neck and flat bottom with central dimple or kick, may be from the Sea of Marmara region (see the section on amphoras for more details).
In addition to the whole and broken amphoras that make up the greatest part of visible material, there are several concretions visible, and a collection of small bricks and building stones in the upper part of the site. Based on similar finds at Yassi Ada, it is currently thought that this may be the remains of the hearth. Anchors, of cruciform type, have been found on the rocks at the top of the wreck and mixed with the tumbled amphoras at the bottom. Based on the finds to date, it is expected that the upper end of the site is the stern.
The site has long been known to Turkish sponge divers and was shown to George Bass during INA's first survey in 1973 by a diver from Bozburun, Mehmet Askin. The site was surveyed in greater detail in 1982, when test pits revealed well-preserved (for Mediterranean waters) hull remains beneath the sand in two places. On the 1982 survey, another local sponge diver was interviewed, and he reported that the site had been known to his colleagues for some time, and perhaps as many as 50 whole jars had been removed over the years for use as water jugs on sponge boats. The site was also visited in 1992, to check out reports that the site was being looted (there is no obvious evidence of disturbance, but only a comparison with photos taken in 1982 will reveal whether significant damage was done), and in 1994 for the purpose of planning the excavation. A total of three amphoras, all of the first, pyriform class, were raised by INA before excavation began in 1995. A few amphoras in the Bodrum museum, donated by sponge divers, may also be from this wreck.
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