The Hull of Yenikapı Shipwreck YK 11: a 7th‐century merchant vessel from Constantinople's Theodosian Harbour

Abstract

YK 11, a small, heavily repaired merchantman, was one of 37 Byzantine shipwrecks excavated at Yenikapı in Istanbul, Turkey. This 7th‐century hull, abandoned in the harbour as a derelict, was studied by archaeologists from the Institute of Nautical Archaeology. Originally built with mortise‐and‐tenon edge joinery, the ship had undergone a series of significant repairs over its lifetime. Repairs included the replacement of planking as well as framing. Although the repaired vessel exhibits evidence of both shell‐first and skeleton‐first shipbuilding techniques, detailed study of the hull remains indicates that the ship was initially designed and built as a primarily shell‐based vessel.

Maʻagan Mikhael B, Israel: a preliminary report of a Late Byzantine–Early Islamic period shipwreck

“…The two sets of well‐preserved bulkheads were found in situ inside the shipwreck. These planks are about 36mm thick; thicker than the planks of bulkheads in YK 11 (18–21mm) (Ingram, : 127–129). Bulkhead timbers were also found in YK 3, YK 12, YK 14, YK 20, YK 21, YK 29, YK 30 and YK 31: some of these shipwrecks have been thoroughly studied, while others are still being investigated (Kocabaş, : 19, 21; Güler, ; Jones, : 265; Ӧzsait‐Kocabaş, : 13).…”

“…b), which might indicate bending through a heating process, known as ‘char‐bending’ (Greenhill, : 115; de Zeeuw, : 154). Similar char‐bending traces were also found in Dor shipwrecks (Dor D, Tantura A, Dor 2001/1, Dor 2006, Tantura F, Tantura E) and in Yenikapı (YK 1, YK 3, YK 5, YK 11, YK 14, YK 17, YK 23) (Wachsmann et al ., : 6; Steffy, : 403; Kahanov et al ., : 118; Kocabaş, : 163, 171; Türkmenoğlu, ; Kahanov and Mor, : 49, 51; Jones, : 261; Ingram, : 115).…”

The Yenikapı 12 Shipwreck, a 9th-Century Merchantman from the Theodosian Harbour in Istanbul, Turkey: construction and reconstruction

“…As they are numerous and placed at short intervals they contribute to the strength of the hull in addition to aligning the planking and also provide resistance to the planking opening during a voyage. Their task, contrary to the dowels with an uneven distribution found on the Bozburun vessel (Harpster, : 91), was similar to the mortise‐and‐tenon joints found on the bottom of Yassıada I (van Doorninck, : 59), Pantano Longarini (Kampbell, : 53, 57) and YK 11 (Pulak et al ., : 49; Ingram, : 110–113), ships dated to the early 7th century AD.…”

“…For example, its mast‐step/keelson was placed directly on to the floor‐timbers and a full ceiling was fastened to the frames with iron nails (Medas, : 43). In terms of construction philosophy, YK 12 is linked to the early 7th‐century shipwrecks: Yassıada 1 (van Doorninck, ); and Pantano Longarini (Throckmorton and Throckmorton, ; Kampbell, ), which were much larger; and YK 11 (Pulak et al ., : 47, 49; Ingram, ). These vessels have mixed construction features, while their shapes were determined substantially by their planking.…”

“…Stringers were nailed on to the frames. Mortise‐and‐tenon fastened vessels at Yenikapı have been dated between the 5th and the beginning of 7th centuries AD (Kocabaş, : 8, 30; Pulak et al ., : 47–50; Ingram, ).…”