Rock-Cut Slipways and Slipping Techniques at Dana Island Shipyard

Abstract

One of the great recent discoveries in maritime archaeology was the discovery, in 2015, of a hitherto unknown shipyard in the Cilicia Region. Approximately 294 slipways/shipsheds were found on Dana Island (Pitusu-Pityoussa) in eastern Rough Cilicia (Cilicia Trachea), on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. Recent studies carried out in 2023 on the island have added to our knowledge of the techniques of landing and servicing vessels, while also uncovering an additional small slipway at this location. Some of the rock-cut slipways for the ships have modestly sized rock-cut constructions behind or between them, and these have been interpreted as service areas for the tenders to the mother ships. These features may indicate that maintenance of both the ship and tender was carried out simultaneously. The rock-cut slipways on Dana Island have different characteristics and range considerably in type and size, implying the use of different slipping techniques at various periods. A number of these features are present on other known ancient slipways in the Mediterranean, such as Rhtymna, Eulimna and Matalon (Crete), Tell Dor (Israel), and Apollonia (Cyrenaica-Libya).