Tektas Wreck

The wreck, which lies along the coastline southeast of Çeşme and west of Sigacik, was located in 1996 during one of INA’s annual survey for shipwrecks. The name of the site, Turkish for “cape of the lone rock,” is derived from the large island of Tektaş Ada.

Between 1999 and 2001 INA sponsored the excavation of a Classical Greek shipwreck off the Turkish coast at Tektaş Burnu. The excavation was supervised by Director George Bass and Assistant Director Deborah Carlson.

Tektaş Burnu could easily be described as one of the most inhospitable and unforgettable places in the Mediterranean.

The wreck itself lay on a shelf at a depth of between 125 and 145 feet. During the first dives in 1999, a small mound of approximately 60 amphoras of at least two distinct types was found. Most of the amphoras come from the northern Greek city of Mende and dates to the third quarter of the fifth century B.C. In antiquity, Mende was most famous for its wine, which was widely-exported and available in several varieties including mellow, honied, and dry. But nine of ten Mendean amphoras from Tektaş Burnu are filled black pine tar was used to caulk or repair a ship, treat a ship’s tackle, line transport amphoras for carrying wine, or even flavor wine (ever tasted Greek retsina?).

Home
Up
Bodrum Castle
Underwater Archeology
Amphora Park
IV. Century Shipwreck
Yassiada Wreck
Glass Wreck
Glass Exhibit
Quenne Ada
Gelidonya Wreck
Uluburun Wreck
Tektas Wreck
Golcuk Boat

[ Home ] [ Up ] [ Bodrum Castle ] [ Underwater Archeology ] [ Amphora Park ] [ IV. Century Shipwreck ] [ Yassiada Wreck ] [ Glass Wreck ] [ Glass Exhibit ] [ Quenne Ada ] [ Gelidonya Wreck ] [ Uluburun Wreck ] [ Tektas Wreck ] [ Golcuk Boat ]

Sponsored by Inpo Panda and İnci Çuhadar