The Underwater Recovery Excavation at Kekova Adası: Observations on the Tek Ada Shipwreck and Finds

Abstract

The Tek Ada Shipwreck was discovered during underwater surveys around Kekova Adası, which is located within the district of Demre in the province of Antalya. The shipwreck, first detected in 2015, had been damaged by illicit diggings in 2017. As a result of excavating some of the sand on it, some timbers from the shipwreck were exposed. This situation caused the decomposition of the ship to increase rapidly. For this reason, to understand the characteristics of the shipwreck and to determine what necessary protective measures should be taken, studies were carried out within the scope of the “Kekova Adası Archeological Underwater Detection-Protection and Rescue Excavation Project” in 2018. During the excavation works, we observed that some of the timbers of the ship’s lower hull and its ballast have survived until today. The ship was built by using the frame-based method of construction. The Tek Ada Shipwreck is one of the rare shipwrecks on the Anatolian coast whose timbers have been preserved. These are thought to belong to the medieval period or later. In addition, around the shipwreck area and during the excavation, fragments from the ship in various forms and from different periods - made both of terracotta and lead and copper/ cooper alloy - were also identified.

Keywords

• Kekova Adası
• Tek Ada Shipwreck
• Skerki Bank Type IV
• shipbuilding

References

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