Mahdia shipwreck
Encyclopedia
The shipwreck of Mahdia was found by sponge
fishermen off the coast of Tunisia
in June 1907. The shipwreck
near the modern town of Mahdia
is dated about the 80s BC, or even later.
In a series of underwater campaigns a large number of items were recovered and placed on display at the Musée National du Bardo, Tunis. The greater part of the sculptures were salvaged between 1907 and 1913 by French archaeologist Alfred Merlin, at that time Director of Antiquities in the Protectorate of Tunisia. Further survey work on the site was done by a team led by Mensun Bound, but unfortunately no further excavations have been possible.
, the port of Athens, to Italy, as it was carrying Greek works of art intended for Roman purchasers, marble and bronze sculptures, high-quality furniture fittings, decorative items and architectural elements. These were later restored by researchers from the Rheinisches Landesmuseum Bonn
in Germany. There were also several dozen heavy marble columns and parts of catapults.
It has been generally thought that the marble columns were removed and shipped by order of Lucius Cornelius Sulla
after his sacking of Athens in 86 BC. None of the epic-scaled Homeric figures that gained popularity in the 1st century BC were to be found, nor any copies of Classical works of the 5th century, as Nikolaus Himmelmann pointed out, contrasting the Mahdia cargo with the similar cargo of the somewhat later Antikythera ship
. Recovered were a marble bust probably of Ariadne
, two large-scale bronzes, a herm figure
of a turbaned Dionysus
, inscribed with the name of its maker, Boëthos of Chalcedon
, and a lithe, winged olive-wreathed boy, identified by scholars as Agon or Eros Enagonios
, Eros as lord of contests, a bronze bust of Ariadne, and two bronze statuettes of dancing dwarfs.
Among five smaller bronzes, found at the site in 1910, was the satyr
illustrated at right. The site also contained lead
objects, including anchors, tubes and plates, and ingots that, according to their isotope
-composition, seem to come from the Sierra de Cartagena in Spain
.
Sea sponge
Sponges are animals of the phylum Porifera . Their bodies consist of jelly-like mesohyl sandwiched between two thin layers of cells. While all animals have unspecialized cells that can transform into specialized cells, sponges are unique in having some specialized cells, but can also have...
fishermen off the coast of Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
in June 1907. The shipwreck
Shipwreck
A shipwreck is what remains of a ship that has wrecked, either sunk or beached. Whatever the cause, a sunken ship or a wrecked ship is a physical example of the event: this explains why the two concepts are often overlapping in English....
near the modern town of Mahdia
Mahdia
Mahdia is a provincial centre north of Sfax. It is important for the associated fish-processing industry, as well as weaving. It is the capital of Mahdia Governorate.- History :...
is dated about the 80s BC, or even later.
In a series of underwater campaigns a large number of items were recovered and placed on display at the Musée National du Bardo, Tunis. The greater part of the sculptures were salvaged between 1907 and 1913 by French archaeologist Alfred Merlin, at that time Director of Antiquities in the Protectorate of Tunisia. Further survey work on the site was done by a team led by Mensun Bound, but unfortunately no further excavations have been possible.
Cargo
The ship was presumably driven by a storm onto the north African coast en route from PiraeusPiraeus
Piraeus is a city in the region of Attica, Greece. Piraeus is located within the Athens Urban Area, 12 km southwest from its city center , and lies along the east coast of the Saronic Gulf....
, the port of Athens, to Italy, as it was carrying Greek works of art intended for Roman purchasers, marble and bronze sculptures, high-quality furniture fittings, decorative items and architectural elements. These were later restored by researchers from the Rheinisches Landesmuseum Bonn
Rheinisches Landesmuseum Bonn
The Rheinisches Landesmuseum Bonn, or LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn, is a museum in Bonn, Germany, run by the Rhineland Landscape Association. It is one of the oldest museums in the country. In 2003 it completed an extensive renovation...
in Germany. There were also several dozen heavy marble columns and parts of catapults.
It has been generally thought that the marble columns were removed and shipped by order of Lucius Cornelius Sulla
Lucius Cornelius Sulla
Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix , known commonly as Sulla, was a Roman general and statesman. He had the rare distinction of holding the office of consul twice, as well as that of dictator...
after his sacking of Athens in 86 BC. None of the epic-scaled Homeric figures that gained popularity in the 1st century BC were to be found, nor any copies of Classical works of the 5th century, as Nikolaus Himmelmann pointed out, contrasting the Mahdia cargo with the similar cargo of the somewhat later Antikythera ship
Antikythera wreck
The Antikythera wreck is a shipwreck from the 1st or 2nd century BC. It was discovered by sponge divers off Point Glyphadia on the Greek island Antikythera in the early 1900s...
. Recovered were a marble bust probably of Ariadne
Ariadne
Ariadne , in Greek mythology, was the daughter of King Minos of Crete, and his queen Pasiphaë, daughter of Helios, the Sun-titan. She aided Theseus in overcoming the Minotaur and was the bride of the god Dionysus.-Minos and Theseus:...
, two large-scale bronzes, a herm figure
Herma
A Herma, commonly in English herm is a sculpture with a head, and perhaps a torso, above a plain, usually squared lower section, on which male genitals may also be carved at the appropriate height...
of a turbaned Dionysus
Dionysus
Dionysus was the god of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine, of ritual madness and ecstasy in Greek mythology. His name in Linear B tablets shows he was worshipped from c. 1500—1100 BC by Mycenean Greeks: other traces of Dionysian-type cult have been found in ancient Minoan Crete...
, inscribed with the name of its maker, Boëthos of Chalcedon
Chalcedon
Chalcedon , sometimes transliterated as Chalkedon) was an ancient maritime town of Bithynia, in Asia Minor, almost directly opposite Byzantium, south of Scutari . It is now a district of the city of Istanbul named Kadıköy...
, and a lithe, winged olive-wreathed boy, identified by scholars as Agon or Eros Enagonios
Eros
Eros , in Greek mythology, was the Greek god of love. His Roman counterpart was Cupid . Some myths make him a primordial god, while in other myths, he is the son of Aphrodite....
, Eros as lord of contests, a bronze bust of Ariadne, and two bronze statuettes of dancing dwarfs.
Among five smaller bronzes, found at the site in 1910, was the satyr
Satyr
In Greek mythology, satyrs are a troop of male companions of Pan and Dionysus — "satyresses" were a late invention of poets — that roamed the woods and mountains. In myths they are often associated with pipe-playing....
illustrated at right. The site also contained lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
objects, including anchors, tubes and plates, and ingots that, according to their isotope
Isotope
Isotopes are variants of atoms of a particular chemical element, which have differing numbers of neutrons. Atoms of a particular element by definition must contain the same number of protons but may have a distinct number of neutrons which differs from atom to atom, without changing the designation...
-composition, seem to come from the Sierra de Cartagena in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
Further reading
- Werner Fuchs, Der Schiffsfund von Mahdia (Tübingen, 1963)
- G. Hellenkemper-Salies et al., (eds.), Das Wrack. Der antike Schiffsfund von Mahdia (Cologne 1994).