Underwater Exploration Along Israel’s Mediterranean
Coast
Along the Mediterranean coast of the Land of Israel
there has always been maritime activity, both of a commercial and
a military nature. Evidence of this is provided by the many shipwrecks
lying on the floor of the sea near the coast.
Israel’s coastline lacks deep natural harbors
and the small craft of ancient times had to find shelter from storms
in the mouths of rivers. As early as the first millennium BCE, the
capacity of ships plying the Mediterranean had increased considerably,
necessitating the construction of deep-water ports for safe anchorage.
Since the 1960s, extensive underwater surveys and
excavations have been conducted along the coast of Israel, with the
aim of exposing remains of harbors, shipwrecks and cargoes.
Atlit – A Submerged Neolithic Village
Atlit, some 15 kms. south of Haifa,
is known for the ruins of a Crusader castle. In the Neolithic period, the level of the Mediterranean was
some 20 m. lower than it is today, and the coastal plain was much
wider.
Some 400 m. off today’s shore, at a depth of
eight to twelve meters, an 8,000-year-old Neolithic village was discovered
under a layer of sand carried there by waves and currents, with its
dwellings and artifacts well preserved.
Twelve structures with paved courtyards and plazas
between them were excavated. At the edge of the village was a long
brick wall, probably for protection against winter floods which filled
the nearby wadi (dry river bed). A 5.5 m.-deep well cut into
the sandstone, its upper part lined with stones, provided water for
the village. Bronze was not yet in use during this period, and this
is the earliest example of a well dug with axes and hammers of stone.
Between the village houses were several stone-lined pits, two to three
meters in diameter; they were silos for the storage of food. Fifteen
tombs, some within the houses, were also found.
Many flint and bone artifacts were salvaged from
the seabed, as well as stone bowls used in this pre-pottery period.
Animal bones found indicate that the village’s economy was based
on farming and incipient herding, hunting and fishing.
Glacial melting following the last ice age caused
the sea level to rise, reducing the area of the coastal plain along
the Mediterranean. Seepage of seawater into the wells was probably
the cause for the abandonment of the village – which then became submerged.
Atlit – The Phoenician
Harbor
The sunken foundations of this Phoenician harbor
(dated to the 7th-6th centuries BCE) are believed to be those of the
earliest known port with built breakwaters. The breakwaters were built
of straight walls enclosing a natural bay. The foundations consist
of large ashlar blocks laid on the rock of the seabed and along a
small islet offshore. A wall which included a gate separated the harbor
from the city.
The cargoes of several vessels were found at the
bottom of the harbor and around it. Among them are stone anchors and
large amphorae used for transporting wine from the Greek islands.
Atlit – The Ram of an Ancient
Warship
The ram of a Hellenistic naval vessel was discovered
in the northern bay of Atlit, at a depth of four meters. It is cast
of bronze, is 2.26 meters long and weighs almost half a ton. Encased
in its rear are the bow timbers of the ship to which it was attached.
The front has three protruding horizontal fins, a development from
the earlier, pointed ram; this improved its ability to “ram”
the enemy’s hull.
The ram is decorated with mythological symbols known
from Greek iconography: the eagle (on each side); the trident or thunderbolt;
a helm surmounted by the eight-pointed star of the Dioskouri, the
protectors of seafarers; and the caduceus or kerkeion, symbol
of Hermes. These symbols provide clues regarding the provenance and
date of the ship: it is believed to have been built in Cyprus for
King Ptolemy VI (204-184 BCE).
Caesarea
Maritima
The large deep-water port built by Herod
the Great at Ceasarea Maritima
is described in detail by Josephus
Flavius. (The Jewish War I, 408-415) The harbor consisted
of three consecutive basins and its construction was completed around
the year 10 BCE. The survey and undersea excavations conducted there
revealed a high level of engineering technology at this oldest known
example of sophisticated harbor construction, as well as in-depth
knowledge of underwater currents and the movement of sand.
The large, outer basin of the harbor was created
by constructing two breakwaters enclosing a large area of open sea.
Later, as a result of tectonic activity, the foundations of this large,
outer harbor sank into the seabed. An arc-shaped breakwater, some
500 m. long, was built along the southern and western sides of the
harbor. In the north, a shorter breakwater of about 180 m. length
was built westward, at right angles to the shore. Parts of the breakwaters
consisted of large ashlar blocks, weighing several tons each, laid
as headers on the seabed. Other portions were constructed of enormous
chunks of conglomerate cast of hydraulic cement and stone in wooden
frames, sunken to the seabed. The long breakwater was 40 - 60 m. wide,
on which service and storage facilities were built. Its narrow, inner
portion facing the harbor served as a pier for loading and unloading.
At the northern end of the long breakwater are the
foundations of a structure built of particularly large blocks and
preserved almost to the water level. These are probably the remains
of the huge lighthouse “Drusion” that stood at the entrance
to the harbor, referred to by Josephus.
The middle basin of the harbor was smaller (220 x
200 m.) and followed the contours of a natural bay. Its quays, 4.5
m. wide, were constructed of ashlar blocks. In its southern part the
remains of the Crusader port-fortress and the modern fishermen’s
quay stand today.
The inner basin was the smallest, surrounded by the
city on three sides. It had been in use in the Hellenistic period,
was developed by Herod the Great and became obsolete in the Byzantine period, as a result of continuous
silting.
The
Harbor of Akko (Acre)
The ancient harbor of Akko was located where the modern fishing harbor is situated today, south
of the promontory on which the Old City is built. The earliest man-made
construction dates to the Persian period (6th-5th centuries BCE).
At that time, a breakwater was built running east to west and enclosing
a basin of about 100 dunams (one dunam = 1/4 acre) which offered sea
anchor-age and port facilities to the growing number of merchantmen.
The breakwater was 260 m. long and 12 m. wide, built of large ashlar
blocks laid as headers on a layer of pebbles and shells. During the Roman period, the breakwater
was rebuilt with enormous blocks, measuring 12 x 2 x 2 meters, placed
about one meter apart.
At the entrance to the harbor, some 70 m. east of
the end of the breakwater, stands the Tower of Flies (also called
Manara, “light house”). The ancient construction, broadening
the natural underwater rock outcrop, is still visible at its base.
The
Shipwreck at Ma’agan Michael
A seagoing ship of the Persian period was discovered
70 m. off the coast at Kibbutz Ma’agan Michael. Covered with
a heavy layer of sand, the hull was exceptionally well preserved from
stem to stern and almost up to the waterline. It was built of pine
timber with mortise and tenon joining, using the “shell first”
mode of construction. Its bow and stern strengthened with fiber lashings,
the frames were then installed to support the structure. Also well
preserved was the ship’s keel which was made of a single beam.
The vessel was originally 13.5 m. long, with a four-meter beam and
a displacement of 25 tons.
A unique, one-armed wooden anchor was found intact
at the side of the bow. Among the contents of the vessel were a set
of carpenter’s tools, several large storage jars, ceramic utensils,
ropes and remnants of food, as well as a heavy load of ballast stones.
On a commercial voyage, the ship probably foundered and was abandoned.
The Wreck with Figurines
Scattered along the submerged kurkar ridge off the
coast of Shavei Zion, a village north of Akko, hundreds of clay figurines
were found by a diver-fisherman in 1974. The ship carrying this load
of votive terra-cotta figurines must have sunk en route to one of
the coastal sanctuaries. The figurines, produced in molds ranging
in size from 10 to 30 cm., represent the Goddess Tinit, chief of the
Punic pantheon. Her sign, composed of a triangle with a superimposed
horizontal bar and a disk, is clearly visible on some of the figurines’
pedestals. The figurines were dated to the 5th century BCE.
The presence of such an assembly of figurines of
the Goddess Tinit on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean calls
attention to cultural and historical issues regarding the relationship
between the Phoenician metropoli and their colonies during the 5th
century BCE.
Weapons Abandoned by Napoleon’s
Army
A cannon, a mortar and some smaller weapons dumped
in the sea by Napoleon’s army on its southward retreat from Acre (Akko) in May 1799, were found off the coast of Dor (north of Ma’agan
Michael). The Turkish-made bronze cannon is 1.60 m. long; it was taken
as booty by Napoleon’s army on its way northwards to Akko. The
mortar poses a riddle: Manufactured in Seville, Spain in 1793 (it
is so inscribed), it is 6 inches in diameter and weighs 333 kg. But
how did it become part of Napoleon’s weaponry?
Sources: Israel
Antiquities Authority |