Iron Age Shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea

Mazarron II, a Phoenician period shipwreck c 600 BC

Mazarron II is a trading vessel that sank during the Phoenician period off the coast of Mercia in southern Spain about 600 BC and is the most complete ancient shipwreck found to date. Almost all the vessel, from bow to stern is preserved.

By Nick Nutter on 2024-12-21 | Last Updated 2024-12-22 | Iron Age Shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea

This article has been visited 13 times

Mazarron II. Area around the keelson

Where was the Mazarron II shipwreck found?

Mazarron is a small port on the southern coast of Spain in the region of Murcia. Mazarron II was found in the shallow waters just off the beach, Playa de la Isla, at a depth of only 2 metres.

About the Mazarron II wreck site

The shipwreck was discovered in 1994 during the building of a marina at Playa de la Isla. After removing most of the cargo, the wreck was preserved in situ with a metal cage. Researchers worked on the wreck from 1999.

In November 2024, the last section of the boat was removed from the seabed and taken to the Underwater Archaeology Museum in Cartagena for further study. It should be on public view within five years either at Cartagena or a purpose built museum at Mazarron.

Who excavated the shipwreck?

Archaeologists from the Spanish National Museum of Maritime Archaeology and the National Centre for Underwater Archaeological Research.

When did the Mazarron II wreck sink?

Based on the presence of the Trayamar-1 amphora, Mazarron II sank between 625 and 570 BC. Other analysis indicates a more precise date in the first third of the 6th century BC, between 600 and 570 BC.

How was Mazarron II built and what were its dimensions?

Mazarron II reconstruction

Mazarron II is 8.10 metres in length and its maximum beam is 2.25metres. It was constructed by first laying the keel with a keelson on top. Both were made of wood from the cypress tree. The keelson has mortises for securing the mast. Next the strakes, or planks, were added to form the hull. These were made from pine wood and fastened using dowels with plant fibres to caulk the seams. The frames are constructed from the wood of the fig tree.

A method of construction called carvel build was used. The planks are fitted edge to edge and secured using mortise and tenon joints with olive tree wood pegs driven through the joint to secure it. This method of construction was used in a minor way on the 14th century BC Uluburun wreck and obviously developed in the intervening 700 years. Previous methods involved sewing the strakes together.

At the eighth row of strakes supports for seven beams were attached. Beams give the boat more rigidity. There also appear to be fittings for five thwarts. Finally, the fig tree wood frames were inserted inside the hull and attached with esparto cord sewn through the strakes. The Phoenician boat builder of this period could not quite escape from the traditional sewn joint methods. The whole of the inside of the hull was given a good coat of resin to make it water-resistant. Mazarron II is the best-preserved example of such a boat from this period.

The anchor was found intact near the starboard bow of the vessel. Only part of it was recovered, the remainder lies with the vessel in its original position. It is made of wood and lead. It has two palms, and a wooden shank with a wooden stock filled with lead. A ring attached the anchor to esparto rope. This is the earliest true anchor to be found. All other previous anchors found were simply large stones with holes in them.

Where did the crew of the shipwreck originate?

Mazarron II. Wicker basket

The presence of a ‘Trayamar’ amphora amongst the wreckage may give a clue as to the port of origin of Mazarron II. Trayamar was an important Phoenician settlement situated near Malaga.

What was the ship’s cargo?

Mazarron II. Litharge bun ingots

When it sank, Mazarron II was carrying 1,797 lead 'buns' or ingots weighing a total of 2,820 kilograms. The lead originated from ore from the mines in the Mazarron area. Any silver had been separated out by a process called cupellation. The molten lead monoxide remaining from this process, then known as litharge, had been poured into rough moulds made in the sand on the beach to form the 'buns' we see today. The ingots had been laid on a thick bed of branches to protect the hull from damage.

Over 7,000 ceramic fragments of amphorae, cooking pots, bowls, plates and cups have been recovered from the wreck (but also see note in Mazarron I article). The fragments have all been identified as Phoenician and many must relate to the crew’s personal gear that give us a snapshot of the crew’s last meal.

Sometime just prior to their craft sinking the crew had enjoyed a meal of lamb. Bones from that animal were found near the mast step and indicate the meat was salted to preserve it. Towards the bow of the boat was a grinding stone complete with a hand grinder. Clearly, the crew ground their own grain for porridge or bread. Whole grain was less likely to be spoilt at sea than pre-milled grain. An amphora of the Trayamar pattern, typical of Phoenician amphora from the seventh and sixth centuries BC was the only such container found on board. It probably held water for the crew. Alongside was a wicker basket with a wooden handle. It possibly held the grain.

In addition, some metal artifacts have been recovered including a silver scarab and a spearhead that is being compared with similar spearheads found along the so-called Atlantic Bronze Age trade routes.

What was the purpose of the cargo?

Mazarron II anchor

Litharge or lead oxide, is a natural form of lead that has formed from the oxidation of galena, lead sulphide. It is also a by product of a process called cupellation where silver rich lead ore is heated to 600 degrees C. Pure lead melts at 300 degrees C. Air is then blown across the surface of the boiling lead. Litharge forms on the surface of the boiling lead and can be scraped off. The silver bearing lead remaining can then be further refined to extract the silver. The litharge produced in this second process can be used again.

Why litharge was being transported instead of being refined on the spot is something of a mystery. Although pure lead can be refined from litharge, the process is more expensive in terms of fuel used and loss of lead through volatilization, than extracting lead from the native ore, galena, lead sulphide. It can only be assumed that the value of the silver extracted from the galena, on average about 5,000 parts per million or 0.5%, was so great at this time that it was worth using all the galena to produce silver and then going to the increased expense of transporting and refining the litharge for the far less valuable lead.

More analysis of the lead ingot cargo may reveal that the litharge cargo is simply lead that has oxidised beneath the seawater over a period of three thousand years or it is a product of the first cupellation process, in other words lead with a high silver content.

Where did the Mazarron II come from and where was it going?

In 650 BC the Mediterranean coasts of Murcia and Andalucia were buzzing with marine activity. The tramp steamers of the day, Hippoi, brought goods from east and west, trading the length of the sea from Lebanon to Cadiz calling off at ports on their way. The Phoenicians did not tend to build piers and quays to allow boats to moor alongside, that development came later with the Carthaginians and Romans, the larger sea-going vessels anchored off a beach whilst smaller 'lighters', such as the Mazarron II, sailed too and from the beach with cargo and stores.

From the very accomplished construction and the presence of a mast, it could be inferred that this 'lighter' would also have been used for short journeys up and down the coast. Some of the personal equipment belonging to the crew supports this supposition.

The presence of the ‘Trayamar’ amphora may give a clue as to the ship's origin. Trayamar was an important Phoenician settlement situated near Malaga. If so the vessel would have either passed or called in at Sexi, now known as Alumunecar, and Baria, the Phoenician settlement near present-day Villaricos, and may have been on its way to Ibiza.

Who Built Mazarron II?

An interesting study of the plant fibres used for stitching on Mazarron I (dealt with in more detail in the Mazarron I article) indicates that both boats may have been built locally.

How did Mazarron II sink?

Whilst nobody knows for sure, the evidence suggests that the Mazarron II was suddenly and completely overwhelmed by water. This most likely occurred in a violent storm. The presence nearby of a vessel of similar age, Mazarron I, suggests that both foundered during the same storm.

Political situation at the time

By 600 BC, the Phoenicians had settlements all along the Iberian Mediterranean coast as far as Portugal on the Atlantic coast. There was a flourishing trade between the western Mediterranean and the civilisations in the Middle East such as Assyria and Egypt.

Where can the Mazarron II shipwreck and its cargo be seen?

After excavation the actual hull of the boat, known as Mazarron II, was left in situ, protected by a metal box. Most of the cargo was brought ashore for preservation and is on view at the Underwater Archaeology Museum in Cartagena. An exact copy of the hull and its positioning on the seabed was constructed and forms a centrepiece at the museum allowing visitors to examine the construction and other details.

In November 2024, the last section of the boat was removed from the seabed and taken to the Underwater Archaeology Museum in Cartagena for further study. It should be on public view within five years at Cartagena or a purpose-built museum at Mazarron.

References

Personal studies at the Underwater Archaeology Museum in Cartagena.
Ayuntamiento de Mazarrón (2004). "Barcos Fenicios" [Phoenician ships]. Ayutamiento de Mazarron (in Spanish).
Ayuntamiento de Mazarrón. Concejalía de Turismo. (2015). "Barco Fenicio de Mazarrón". Visit Mazarrón.
López-Ruiz, Carolina; Doak, Brian R. (2022). The Oxford Handbook of the Phoenician and Punic Mediterranean. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-765442-2.
Nutter N. (2018). Phoenicians in Andalucia | The Phoenician wreck of Mazarron II. https://www.visit-andalucia.com/phoenician-wreck-mazarron/