The most exciting discoveries ever made in the Mediterranean were two vessels that gave archaeologists a complete picture of how mariners plied the seas during the Bronze Age.

Cape Gelidonya

The excavation of a Late Bronze Age (LBA) cargo vessel off southern Turkey's Cape Gelidonya in 1960 was the world's first scientific underwater dig. Led by pioneering underwater archaeologist George Bass, a team of young divers discovered a rich cargo that contained primarily copper and tin ingots, as well as the personal possessions of the crew, which showed they came from Egypt, Cyprus, and Syria. Based on comparing evidence from Egyptian art, Syrian port excavations, and the artifacts of the vessel, the archaeologists concluded the ship was early Phoenician. At the time of the discovery, scholars believed the Myceneans dominated the LBA nautical trade, and that the Phoenicians were not present on the seas until the Iron Age. The Cape Gelidonya wreck forced archaeologists to reconsider the history of nautical commerce in the LBA Mediterranean.

Uluburun

Some 40 miles west of Cape Gelidonya, an even more spectacular discovery was made: the wreck of a cargo ship at Uluburun, which proved to be the richest and largest collection of LBA artifacts ever found in the Mediterranean. The ship's cargo included ebony logs, hippo tusk ivory, thousands of amber and quartz beads, lavender-colored glass, a carved bronze and gold protective goddess figure, and copper and tin ingots. Dated to ca. 1306 B.C. on dendrochronological evidence, the vessel was carrying a variety of Egyptian, Cannanite, Cypriot, and Mycenean materials, both raw and manufactured, and probably set off from Cyprus. The wreck, excavated between 1984 and 1994 by archaeologist Cemal Pulak and the Institute of Nautical Archaeology, provides the earliest examples of several types of artifacts, including the wooden writing boards, joined by ivory hinges and recessed to hold wax writing surfaces.

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