A new study of Byzantine shipwrecks off modern-day southwestern Turkey is giving researchers a clearer view of medieval trade, ship cargo, and sea routes that connected the Aegean, Anatolia, the Black Sea, and the eastern Mediterranean.
The research, led by Evren Türkmenoğlu and published in the journal Heritage, examines three deep-water shipwrecks near Knidos (Greek: Κνίδος), an ancient Greek and medieval port city at the western end of Turkey’s Datça Peninsula. The wrecks are known as Knidos F, Knidos L, and Knidos N.
Deep-sea survey documented the wrecks
Researchers documented the sites during deep-sea expeditions carried out from 2010 to 2012 by the Ocean Exploration Trust, working with Turkish and American specialists. The team used the exploration vessel Nautilus, side-scan sonar, and remotely operated vehicles called Hercules and Argus.
The method allowed researchers to study the wrecks without touching them. The team left the sites in place and recorded the cargo on the seabed with cameras, mapping tools, and laser measurements.
The three wrecks sit in deep water, between 370 and 418 meters (1213 to 1371 feet) below the surface. They formed part of a wider survey that found 30 shipwrecks off Knidos and Marmaris. Researchers identified Knidos F, L, and N as Byzantine-period wrecks because of the transport jars, known as amphorae, scattered across the seabed.
Knidos F shows a well-preserved cargo
Knidos F lies about 10 nautical miles northeast of Knidos at a depth of 370 meters (1213 feet). Its cargo field covers about 12 by 10 meters (39.37 by 32.81 feet). Researchers counted 545 intact or nearly intact amphorae and at least 80 broken ones. The site appears compact and largely undisturbed.
That matters because many deep-water wrecks in the region have suffered damage from bottom trawling. Heavy fishing gear can drag across the seabed, break ancient ceramics, and scatter cargo. Knidos F shows no clear trawl scars. Its cargo remains tightly grouped, which may mean the ship settled upright rather than capsizing.
The jars on Knidos F belong to a type widely used between the 10th and 12th centuries. These amphorae had short necks, rounded bodies, and ribbed surfaces. Similar vessels have been found across the Mediterranean and Black Sea worlds.
Knidos L points to organized trade
Knidos L lies southeast of Knidos at a depth of 418 meters (1371.39 feet). Its amphora pile covers about 7 by 10 meters (22.97 by 32.81 feet). Researchers identified at least 116 intact jars. Most belonged to the same broad amphora group seen at Knidos F, while a smaller number represented a less common form.
Together, Knidos F and Knidos L point to active Byzantine trade between the 10th and 12th centuries. That was a period when the Byzantine Empire regained strength at sea after earlier centuries of conflict and Arab control in parts of the eastern Mediterranean. The recapture of Crete in 961 and Cyprus in 965 helped reopen key routes and made sea travel safer.
Researchers say the cargoes may reflect organized transport rather than random trading. The large number of similar jars suggests the ships may have carried goods from known production areas to established markets. Many amphorae of this kind are often linked to wine, especially from the Marmara region, though the study says the exact cargo and origin remain uncertain.
Knidos N reflects a changing era
Knidos N tells a different story. The wreck lies about 3.5 nautical miles southeast of Knidos at a depth of 400 meters (1312.34 feet). It dates more likely to the 13th century, a more unstable period for Byzantine power. By then, Italian maritime cities such as Venice, Genoa, and Pisa had gained strong influence in eastern Mediterranean trade.
The Knidos N cargo included 95 visible amphorae. Its main jar type has no clear match in known archaeological records. That may point to a local production center or a special use that researchers have not yet identified.
Finds reveal a connected medieval sea
The study says the three wrecks show how the Carian coast remained part of important sea routes across several centuries. Knidos F and L reflect a period of renewed Byzantine maritime activity. Knidos N points to changing trade patterns during the empire’s later years.
Researchers say more work is needed to identify where the amphorae were made and what they carried. Chemical and petrographic testing could help answer those questions. For now, the wrecks offer rare evidence from ships that sank far from shore, carrying the material traces of a connected medieval sea.
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