The Kyreneia II
- Theofano Moraiti
- Aug 8, 2024
- 3 min read
The ship of Kyrenia is one of the most important shipwrecks of the Hellenistic period in the Eastern Mediterranean. It dates back to the period 320 - 310 BC and is estimated to have sunk on the northern coast of Cyprus between 295 and 285 BC. Its discovery was made by Andreas Kariolou in 1966 at a depth of about 30 meters.
In 1968, the Department of Antiquities of Cyprus granted two summer excavation seasons to a group of archaeologists from the University of Pennsylvania, led by archaeologist Michael Katsev and his wife Susan Womer Katsev. Soon after, they started an underwater excavation research that lasted for five years. A few years later, after an extensive study of the shipwreck, an attempt was made to reconstruct the hull as part of experimental archaeology.
In 1981, Haris E. Tzalas attempted to approach Michael Katsev and his wife, seeking their collaboration in constructing a replica of the ship at a natural scale in Peiraeus Passage. To achieve this goal, he collaborated with Manolis Psarros, one of the most well-known shipbuilders in Peiraeus and a descendant of a family of shipwrights who had been building wooden ships on the island of Symi for generations. Despite Psarros' initial hesitation, the ancient construction method of "shell-first" was used for the replica, which was also used in creating the authentic hull.
The hull of the ancient ship was largely made of pine planks without previously placing internal frames. After selecting suitable curved timber, each plank of the Kyrenia II ship would be hewn with an adze. Conversely, today, a framework of crooked wood is initially formed, placed on the keel of the ship, and then the planks of the hull are applied to the sides. This method saved time and avoided unnecessary expenses. However, in ancient times, when labor, timber, and time were abundant, shipbuilding was a form of sculpture.
As expected, the project for the replica "Kyrenia II" faced various obstacles in terms of study and subsequent implementation of the method. As additional problems arose concerning funding and organization of the construction, the process ultimately lasted three years, which for an ancient shipbuilder would have been the work of three to four months.
In 1984 and 1985, the first trial trips began, continuing in September 1986 and the spring of 1987 with two extensive experimental voyages to Cyprus, returning to Piraeus. The crew consisted of many champion sailors and yachtsmen who had participated in the Olympic Games. The ship set sail and visited ports of various islands in the Aegean with a great maritime history spanning millennia, continuing its experimental journeys for another seventeen years.
The Keryneia II was then presented at the Sea Port Naval Museum in Connecticut in New York and was hosted by the former imperial capital Nara in Japan as part of the grand exhibition "The Silk Road." Additionally, it was transported to Seville as part of the World Expo and later to Hamburg to celebrate the 700 years of this North Sea port. Finally, it was exhibited in ten Greek cities. The "Keryneia II" is now a permanent exhibit at the "Thalassa" Museum in Ayia Napa, which is soon to be enriched with a specialized library and archives to become a center for the study and promotion of experimental maritime archaeology.
Proofreading: Despina Nakaktsi
Bibliography
Katzev S. W., «Το Αρχαίο Πλοίο της Κυρήνειας, κάτω από τα νερά της Κύπρου», Βαλαβάνης Π. (επιμ.), Μεγάλες Στιγμές της ελληνικής αρχαιολογίας, Εκδόσεις Καπόν, Αθήνα, 2018, 286-300.
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Berlin A. M., “At Home on Board: The Kyrenia Ship and the goods of its crew”, Peignard-Giros A. (επιμ.), DAILY LIFE IN A COSMOPOLITAN WORLD: POTTERY AND CULTURE DURING THE HELLENISTIC PERIOD Proceedings of the 2nd Conference of IARPotHPLyon, November 2015, 5th – 8th, Wien, 2019, 563-564.
Dr van Duivenvoorde W., “Anchoring the Kyrenia Ship: An experimental project to reconstruct the ship’s anchor”, Flinders University, Adelaide, 2017.
Katzev S. W., "Resurrecting an Ancient Greek Ship: Kyrenia, Cyprus", Bass G. (επιμ.), Beneath the Seven Seas: Shipwrecks, Seafaring, and Archaeology, Thames & Hudson, London, 2005, 72-80.
Tzalas, H., "The Kyrenia II, the trireme Olympias, the papyrella :three different endeavours in nauticalexperimental archaeology," Archaeonautica L’archéologie maritime et navale de la préhistoire àl’époque contemporaine 20 | 2018, CNRS Éditions, 239-247.
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