Mazarron I, a Phoenician period shipwreck c 600 BC

Work started on the wreck in 1993 and it has been raised, together with what is left of its cargo and is currently on display at the Museum of Underwater Archaeology in Cartagena.

From these few remains certain deductions have been made. Mazarron I was about 8.2 metres overall with a beam of 2.2 metres.

The stem was fixed to the keel using a 'T' shaped scarf joint designed to withstand vertical as well as horizontal stress. Other building techniques are also unusual, or at least encountered in a wreck for the first time, such as the fastening of the strakes. The method used on Mazarron I was a combination of two established methods, tightly pegged or dowelled mortise and tenon joints together with sewn seams. Esparto grass yarn was used for the stitching. The hull, inside and out, was coated with pine tar to preserve the wood and provide another level of waterproofing.

The societies in the region had undergone significant cultural blending with the Phoenicians over centuries, making it challenging to pinpoint origins. These boats likely served local transportation needs within a broader commercial network overseen by the Phoenician colonial elites and ultimately connected to the Tyre state.

An interesting study of the fibres used for the stitching on Mazarron I suggests it was likely built locally in the Iberian Peninsula.

The ship's stitching was made from esparto grass (Stipa tenacissima L.), a plant endemic to the southeastern Iberian Peninsula (around Cartagena, Spain) and the northwest of Africa. This indicates the use of local materials and potentially a local shipbuilding tradition.

Esparto grass was highly valued for its strength and resistance to rot, making it ideal for shipbuilding. Pliny, (Natural History, XIX, 7 - 10), noted the superior quality of esparto from the southeastern Iberian Peninsula. Calibrated radiocarbon analyses of archaeological remains from the Cueva de los Murcielagos (Albuol, Granada, Spain), attest to the use of S. tenacissima for the manufacture of extremely elaborate basketry and clothing in the Iberian Peninsula from the 6th millennium BC.

The use of esparto in Mazarron I, along with possible sewn repairs in Mazarron II, suggests a local shipbuilding tradition in the region prior to the introduction of more advanced techniques (like mortise-and-tenon joints) by the Phoenicians.

Essentially, the analysis of the stitching material provides strong evidence for the local construction of the Mazarron I ship in the southeastern Iberian Peninsula.

The use of hybrid building techniques, pegged mortise and tenon joints that are a feature of eastern Mediterranean boats together with sewn planks that are more common in western Mediterranean contexts suggests the boat was built in Iberia.

As to its destination. That has not been determined.