Article

Comprehensive dendro-archaeological studies carried out on nine shipwrecks along the Mediterranean coast of Israel enable to identify the various wood species used in ancient shipbuilding in the Eastern Mediterranean, to detect the repairs and locate the possible construction sites of the ships. Ma'agan Mikhael and Tantura Lagoon shipwrecks: The earliest ship (the Ma'agan Mikhael) presents the Classical Period, dated to the 5th century BC. About 80% of the hull timbers were made of Pinus brutia (Calabrian pine) and the remaining components of the hull were made of tree species native in west – northwestern Turkey. Three ships present the Medieval Period: Dor 200/1 dated to the 5th -6th centuries AD, Tantura E dated to the 7th-9th centuries AD, and Tantura F dated to the beginning of the 8th century AD. The wood species used for building the hull of Dor 2001/1, i.e. Pinus brutia, Cupressus sempervirens (Cypress) and Fagus orientalis (Oriental beech) are native to west – northwestern Turkey, except for Tamarix (X5) (Tamarisk) and Ziziphus spina-christi (Christ thorn; Jujube) which are native to Israel and were used as repairs on the ship made upon its arrival at Dor. Tantura E was built mainly of Pinus brutia and Cupressus sempervirens, whereas Tamarix (X5), which is native to Israel, was used as repairs on the ship upon its arrival at Dor. Two wood species used in constructing the hull of Tantura F, i.e. Pinus brutia and Tamarix smyrnensis, grow together native in two regions in Turkey: around Izmir and in Antalya, suggesting that most likely it was built on the western or southern coast of Turkey. Three ships, Dor 2002/2, DW2 and Dor C dated to the 17th-19th centuries AD present the Post Medieval Period (Ottoman). The hull of those ships was mainly constructed of Pinus brutia which constituted 80%-85% of the examined timbers. The assemblage of wood species used in constructing the hull of those three ships grow native in west – northwest Turkey, suggesting that they were probably built in this region. Akko shipwrecks: Akko 1 and Akko 2, dated to the 18th-19th centuries AD, present the Post Medieval Period (Ottoman). Akko 1 was mainly built of Quercus petraea (Sessile oak) constituting about half of the timbers, Quercus cerris (Turkey oak) and Pinus brutia. Akko 2 was built only of Pinus brutia. The native habitats of the tree species used in constructing the hull of those two ships suggest they were probably built in west – northwest Turkey.