In the second episode of the Dive & Dig series II podcast with award-winning historian Professor Bettany Hughes and maritime archaeologist, Dr Lucy Blue, explore finds from two key 4th century BC Ancient Greek shipwreck sites in Cyprus at Mazotos and Kyrenia and what they tell us about trade and connectivity in Classical Greece.
Other episodes in Dive & Dig II
Olive stones, amphorae and small vessels bring the crews of one ancient ship back to life and ancient seafaring is revealed through a series of ship replicas.
Amphorae give us clues about the lives of ancient Greek sailors (Photo: MARELab)
In this episode, Bettany visits the conservation lab in Cyprus see some of the remarkable finds from the shipwreck, Mazotos, including evidence of a sailor’s packed lunch, and speaks with Stella Demesticha from the Archaeological Research Unit at the University of Cyprus, and Eleni Loizidou from the Department of Antiquities of Cyprus about the discoveries.
Meanwhile, Lucy talks with Glafkos Kariolou, who helped to build and skipper a reconstruction of the Kyrenia, a 4th Century BC ancient Greek merchant ship.
Episode Facts:
- Mazotos – 4th Century BC shipwreck, lies in 45 metres of water, contained cargo of amphorae carrying wine, underneath these hundreds of amphorae are the wooden remains of the hull of the ship.
- Amongst the finds the team gained an insight into the life of the crew, and discovered olive stones, believed to be the crew’s snacks!
- Kyrenia – also dates to the 4th Century and was found by a sponge diver.
- We hear about the discovery and excavation of this ship which became an important symbol in Cyprus
- We also hear about the replicas that were built, and the emotional journey to bring the ship home.
