Ancient Roman Shipwreck in Croatia Reveals Greek Influence in Shipbuilding and Repairs

View of the excavation of the bow country of the Ilovik-Paržine 1 shipwreck. Credit: L. Damelet, CNRS/CCJ / CC BY 4.0

A 2,200-year-old Roman shipwreck successful Croatia has revealed caller details astir however past sailors protected, repaired, and maintained ships that crossed the Adriatic Sea, with caller grounds pointing to Greek power successful shipbuilding techniques.

The study, led by Armelle Charrie-Duhaut and published successful Frontiers successful Materials, examined the Ilovik-Paržine 1 wreck disconnected Ilovik Island successful Croatia. Researchers focused connected the acheronian waterproof coating inactive preserved connected parts of the ship’s hull.

The wreck dates to astir 170 B.C. It was recovered successful Paržine Bay, astir 30 meters (98.4 feet) from enactment and 4 meters (13.1 feet) beneath the surface. Archaeologists archetypal identified the tract successful 2016. Later excavations uncovered amphora fragments, ballast stones, cargo logs, and woody hull remains.

The vessel was built with mortise-and-tenon joints, a communal past method that locked woody planks together. But the caller survey looked beyond the wood. It focused connected the sticky coating utilized to seal and support the vessel.

Ancient coating protected the hull

Researchers analyzed 10 coating samples from antithetic parts of the ship. They utilized chemic tests and pollen investigation to survey what the worldly was made of and wherever it whitethorn person travel from.

The results showed that astir samples contained pitch, a tar-like substance made by heating conifer wood oregon resin. Ancient shipbuilders utilized transportation due to the fact that it helped support h2o out. It besides protected the hull from the harsh marine environment.

One illustration stood out. It contained transportation mixed with beeswax. This substance made the coating much flexible and easier to use erstwhile heated. It besides improved h2o resistance. Researchers said the substance matched an past coating known from classical sources arsenic “zopissa,” a blend linked to Greek shipbuilding traditions.

Pollen points to repairs and travel

The survey besides utilized pollen trapped wrong the coating. Because transportation is sticky, it tin sphere tiny traces of plants from the country wherever it was made oregon applied.

Those pollen grains offered clues astir the ship’s movements. Some samples reflected Mediterranean forests, shrubland, wetlands, and coastal vegetation. Others pointed to environments linked to the eastbound Adriatic and confederate Italy.

The findings suggest the ship’s coating did not travel from 1 azygous place. Instead, researchers identified 4 to 5 antithetic coating batches crossed the wreck.

That signifier whitethorn amusement that the vessel was repaired respective times during its moving life. It whitethorn besides mean shipbuilders utilized materials from antithetic sources during operation oregon refitting.

Link to Brindisi

Map showing the determination of the wreck. Credit: V. Dumas / CNRS/CCJ / CC BY 4.0

Earlier investigation of the ship’s ballast stones suggested the vas whitethorn person been built adjacent Brundisium, present Brindisi, successful confederate Italy. The caller coating survey supports that possibility.
Several samples contained pollen patterns akin to areas successful Apulia, the portion astir Brindisi. This suggests that immoderate coating whitethorn person been produced oregon applied adjacent the shipyard.

Other samples whitethorn constituent to aboriginal repairs on the Adriatic coast, including parts of Dalmatia oregon adjacent regions.

A wider presumption of past seafaring

The study shows that waterproof coatings tin uncover acold much than shipbuilding techniques. They tin besides sphere grounds of commercialized routes, repair stops, and biology settings.

For archaeologists, the Ilovik-Paržine 1 wreck offers a uncommon look astatine the applicable beingness of an past vessel. It was not conscionable built, launched, and lost. It was maintained, repaired, and adapted arsenic it moved done antithetic ports and waters.

Researchers said the combined usage of chemical, pollen, and statistical investigation opens caller ways to survey past ships. The materials connected the hull tin assistance hint wherever a vessel was built, wherever it traveled, and however sailors kept it seaworthy.

The Croatian wreck shows that adjacent a bladed furniture of past transportation tin clasp a agelong grounds of quality skill, maritime movement, and mundane repair enactment successful the Roman Republican period.