Madrague de Giens (shipwreck)

In the summer of 1972 a team of maritime archaeologists of the Archaeological Institute, run jointly in Aix-en-Provence (France) by the University of Provence and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (National Centre for Scientific Research or CNRS) focused on the central area of the ship. These excavations established the approximate age of the wreck (around the middle of first century BCE) and determined the cargo the ship was carrying at the time of its sinking. They also helped in determining the origin of the cargo - amphorae from Terracina, Italy and Campanian ceramics and pottery. From 1976 to 1982 excavations focused on the other parts of the wreck not uncovered in previous seasons. The 1976 to 1979 campaigns primarily involved the stern which had been well preserved under 2 to 3 metre deep sediment. Once uncovered, the stern, which is one of the largest and most complete of all Roman wrecks, revealed important information about the construction of the ship. In 1980 focus shifted to the front of the ship. A 4-metre unexcavated area, deemed to be of little interest and not worth the time it would take to excavate, was left between the centre and stern of the wreck as the archaeologists moved to the extreme front of the ship. The stern was abandoned in favour of the bow as what had already been uncovered suggested that parallels might possibly be made between the Madrague de Giens wreck and classical iconography and the archaeologists wished to explore this further. With the bow uncovered it was clear that the shape and proportions of the ship were indeed similar to images created at the time of its wrecking, particularly that of the Ocean God mosaic in the Themetra baths in Tunisia. With the extreme front of the ship recorded, archaeologists moved back towards the centre of the wreck, beginning at the rearmost portion of the 'front' section and working forwards. Throughout the excavations it was discovered that the site may have been heavily impacted by divers who had salvaged from the wreck. After analysis it was concluded that most, if not all, of the salvage operations most likely occurred not long after the ship was wrecked. It appeared that almost half the amphorae had been removed and the site was strewn with rocks (which were most likely used by free divers) from the Giens peninsula. By the end of excavations in 1982 almost all of the wreck had been uncovered, revealing a ship with a concavely profiled bow and a convex stern; a sharp, prominent keel; two masts; and a heavy cargo load, a shape well attested by iconography but not common in the Roman world. Excavation techniques The excavation of the wreck at Madrague de Giens utilised a number of archaeological techniques common in underwater archaeology. Using an air pump objects were carefully extricated and recorded before they were removed. Important artefacts, including each amphora, had a number attached to them. These numbers were designed to be clearly visible throughout excavation and to remain as cataloguing numbers through processing and the eventual storage of the recovered items. Comprehensive stereoscopic photographic recording was undertaken across the site at a number of levels and the hull was carefully examined and partly dismantled to determine how it was built. After excavation concluded in 1982 the wreck at Madrague de Giens was reburied in sand and left on the seabed. Archaeological significance The wreck at Madrague de Giens is significant not only because it is one of the largest Roman vessels ever discovered, or that its excavation was the first “truly scientific underwater excavation carried out in France”, but because it also reveals important information about Roman art. During the excavations Pomey created a detailed, scale plan of the hull which he then compared with a selection of images showing ships from around the same time period as the wreck. He discovered that in several mosaics the proportions and shapes were identical to his own plans, suggesting three things: firstly, that mosaics "represent ancient ships with much more realism and accuracy than might be supposed"; secondly, that the deteriorated, destroyed or lost parts of the Madrague de Giens wreck (such as the rigging) were likely similar to those displayed in the images; and thirdly, based on the date ranges of the comparable mosaics, "that this type of ship was built to a virtually identical pattern for more than three centuries". ==Ship construction==

The dimensions of Madrague de Giens portray a tall two-masted A sharp bottom and prominent keel made of oak A massive cutwater, over a length of 1.45m, placed against the front-butt protected and strengthened the stern of the axial frame. The structure of the ship's hull is a good example of the edge-to-edge mortised and tenoned hull planking providing much of the hull's strength. The sectional dimensions of the frames are not of appreciably greater than, for instance, those of the Kyrenia ship, a vessel of a third of the overall length and much less cargo capacity. The double layer of planking also contributes additional hull strength, as do the internal stringers. This contrasts with the structural design concepts of carvel construction, which saw a slow and complex development in the first millennium AD. Carvel relies largely on the underlying framework of the hull for its strength, whilst ships like the Madrague de Giens vessel had an internal framework that simply provided additional reinforcement. The deck or ship superstructure has not survived, although a baulk of timber and its supports as found, fitted carefully onto the lowest frames of the hull. This mast-step timber indicates sockets that correspond to a main mast, a foremast, of a bilge pump well, and of various interior architectural characteristics. Kept at a height of 1.10m above the floor of the hold, this well was 1.5m long by 1.25m wide and consisted of four vertical supporting cross-coated plates. ==Cargo==

The cargo found amongst the wreck site indicates that the wreck at Madrague de Giens belongs to a large Roman merchant vessel. Dressel Type 1B, ] high, amphorae with narrow pointed bodies and long cylindrical necks made by the potter Publius Veveius Papus made up the majority of the wine amphorae. Potter's stamps belonging to Publius Veveius Papus have been found on these amphorae indicating that they were an export from Terracina, a wine-producing area in Southern Italy, where he is known to have had a workshop. Various other types of amphorae were found, which may have been for on board consumption or alternatively may have been additional cargo. The ship of Madrague de Giens was only carrying three layers of amphorae due to the fact that it was also carrying a large load of ceramics, which was placed on top of the amphorae. This extra cargo contained black-glazed ceramics (Campanian) and coarser kitchen wares. The presence of kitchen wares, table wares, and other various objects indicated the cabin area near the stern of the ship. ==See also==