Wrecks & shipfinds of the Mediterranean

1. Prehistory and early Antiquity

The earliest open sea navigation was probably on the Mediterranean. This section starts with the earliest finds and ends with the Archaic Period in Greece around 480 BC. The main sea peoples at this time were the Egyptians, the Greek, the Phoenicians and the Etruscans.
   Abydos Boats

Further reading

  
Comment: There are very few Mediterranean wrecks from the two intervals of roughly 1150-750 BC and 400-900 AD. These gaps correspond to times of very little shipping and trade. First gap: The Dark Ages after the collapsed early Greek civilisations. Second gap: The Middle Ages. The shipping volume of Roman times was perhaps not reached again until the 16th or 17th century AD. This has been demonstrated by Dr A. J. Parker, see diagram.

Page by Per Åkesson rev apr '14


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