The Yenikapı Byzantine‐Era Shipwrecks, Istanbul, Turkey: a preliminary report and inventory of the 27 wrecks studied by Istanbul University

Figures & data

Figure 1. Aerial view showing the Yenikapı area and borders of the excavation site. (Courtesy of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality)

Figure 2. Urbis Constantinopolitanae Delineatio. The oldest view of Istanbul published in 1422 by Christophoro de Buondelmonte of Florence.

Figure 3. Harbours of Constantinople (after Haldon, 2006: 72)

Figure 4. Detail showing the Yenikapı area in a 28-m‐long drawing of the sea‐walls of Istanbul by engineer Dimitriadis Effendi in 1873. (Istanbul Archaeological Museums Library)

Figure 5. Distribution of wrecks across the excavation site at Yenikapı. (IU Yenikapı Shipwrecks Project Archive)

Table 1. Construction details of Yenikapı shipwrecks studied by Istanbul University

Vessel	Grid squares	Date (AD)	Cross‐section amidships	Level (m)	Planking edge‐joints	Scarfs
Small merchantmen
YK 6	2Cc3–2Cc1	Stratigraphy: 10^th	Flat floor‐timber	−0.67/−0.90	Dowels	Diagonal and S‐shaped
YK 7	3Bb1‐2Bd3	Stratigraphy: 10^th	Flat floor‐timber	−0.91/−1.02	Dowels	S and arc‐shaped
YK 8	S 21‐22	Stratigraphy: 10^th	Flat floor‐timber	−0.90/−1.26	Dowels	Diagonal and S‐shaped, vertical flat type
YK 9	2Ec3‐2Dd4‐2Ec1	Stratigraphy: 10^th	Flat floor‐timber	−1.40	Dowels	S‐shaped
YK 12	F‐G 13‐14	^14C: 672–876 Coin: 9th	Flat floor‐timber	−1.30	Dowels	S‐shaped
YK 18	1A2d2‐1A2d1	Stratigraphy: 10th	Flat floor‐timber	−1.42/−1.50	Dowels	S, diagonal and arc‐shaped
YK 19	2A1c1‐2A1c2	Stratigraphy: 8th	Flat floor‐timber	−1.40	Dowels	Diagonal and S‐shaped
YK 20	2A2b1‐2A2b3‐2A2b4	^14C: 687–975	Flat floor‐timber	−0.70/−1.00	Dowels	Diagonal and S‐shaped
YK 26	2Gb4‐2Gd2‐2Ha3‐2Hc1	Stratigraphy: 5th–6th	?	−3.50	Unpegged mortise‐and‐tenon	Diagonal
YK 30	N 148	Stratigraphy: 8th–9th	?	−2.20	?	?
Medium merchantmen
YK 3	N‐O 48‐49	^14C: 668–987 Finds: 5th–6th	Flat floor‐timber	−0.69	Dowels	S‐shaped
YK 10	4Ba2‐4Ba1‐3Bc3	Stratigraphy: 8th	Flat floor‐timber	−2.29/−2.37	No edge‐fastener	Diagonal
YK 15	1Ac1‐1Ac2‐1Aa41Aa31Aa1	Stratigraphy: 8th–9th	Flat floor‐timber	−1.90	Dowels	S‐shaped
YK 21	1Ja2‐1Ja3‐1Ja4‐1Jb1	Stratigraphy: 9th–10th	Flat floor‐timber	−0.70/−0.60	Dowels	S‐shaped
YK 29	H49‐50	Stratigraphy: 8th	Shallow wine‐glass	−2.40	No edge‐fastener	Three‐planed scarfs
YK 31	B137‐138	Stratigraphy: 9th	?	−1.50/−2.20	No edge‐fastener	S‐shaped
YK 32	4Fa2‐4Fa3‐4Fa4	Stratigraphy: 8th–9th	Flat floor‐timber	−1.55	Dowels	Diagonal
YK 34	4Hb3/4, 4Hd1	Stratigraphy: 5th	Wine‐glass	−2.30	Pegged and unpegged mortise‐and‐tenon	Diagonal
Large Merchantmen
YK 17	1A1b4‐ 1A1b3	^14C: 652–870	Flat floor‐timber	−2.18/−2.40	No edge‐fastener	Three‐planed scarfs , butt
YK 22	2Ga1‐2Ga2‐2Gb1‐2Gb2‐2Gb3‐2Gb4‐2Ha1‐2Ha3	^14C: 430–606	Wine‐glass	−3.60/−4.00	Unpegged mortise‐and‐tenon	Diagonal and S‐shaped
YK 27	3Ed1/d3‐3Ec1/4‐3Fc1/c2 3Ec4	^14C: 672–869	Shallow wine‐glass	−2.20/−3.15	No edge‐fastener	Three‐planed scarfs, butt
YK 28	3Fc1/c2	?	?	−2.00/−2.40	No edge‐fastener	Three‐planed scarfs
YK 35	0Jd1‐2‐3‐4, 0Jc2‐4	Finds: 5th	Wine‐glass	−4.11/−5.23	Unpegged mortise‐and‐tenon	Diagonal and S‐shaped
Galleys
YK 13	1Ia4‐1Ic1‐1Ic2‐1Ic3/4	^14C: 690–890	Shallow wine‐glass	−0.65/−1.20	Dowels	Long S‐shaped
YK 16	2A1a2/4‐2A1b3‐2A1c2‐2A1d1/4	^14C: 720–890	Shallow wine‐glass	−1.30/−1.80	Dowels	Long S‐shaped
YK 25	2A1b2/4‐2A1d2	Stratigraphy: 8–10th	Shallow wine‐glass	−1.40	Dowels	Long S‐shaped
YK 36	E7‐8, F7‐8, G7‐8, H7‐8	?	Shallow wine‐glass	−1.10	Dowels	Diagonal?

Figure 6. YK 6 wreck, drawing and photo‐mosaic. (IU Yenikapı Shipwrecks Project Archive)

Figure 7. YK 7 wreck, drawing and photo‐mosaic. (IU Yenikapı Shipwrecks Project Archive)

Figure 8. YK 8 wreck, drawing and photo‐mosaic. (IU Yenikapı Shipwrecks Project Archive)

Figure 9. YK 9 wreck, drawing and photo‐mosaic. (IU Yenikapı Shipwrecks Project Archive)

Figure 10. YK 12 wreck, drawing and photo‐mosaic. (IU Yenikapı Shipwrecks Project Archive)

Table 2. Radiocarbon analysis results. All samples analysed by Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit, calibrated using OxCal V4 1.7

Shipwreck	Sample ID	^14C age years BP	Calibrated	Probability	Note
YK 3	OxA‐23833	1130 ± 25 BP	cal AD 827–987 cal AD 865–987	95.4% 93.8%	Platanus orientalis
YK 3	OxA‐23845	1265 ± 25 BP	cal AD 668–809 cal AD 668–782	95.4% 92.4%	Pinus nigra
YK 12	OxA‐23836	1246 ± 25 BP	cal AD 681–870	95.4%	Quercus sp
YK 12	OxA‐23837	1233 ± 24 BP	cal AD 690–876 cal AD 762–876	95.4% 60.1%	Castanea sativa
YK 12	OxA‐23838	1258 ± 25 BP	cal AD 672–859 cal AD 672–818	95.4% 93.4%	Carpinus betulus
YK 13	OxA‐23834	1230 ± 27 BP	cal AD 690–881 cal AD 762–881	95.4% 64.7%	Platanus orientalis
YK 13	OxA‐23835	1211 ± 25 BP	cal AD 714–890 cal AD 767–890	98.4% 87.0%	Platanus orientalis
YK 16	OxA‐23846	1206 ± 24 BP	cal AD 721–890 cal AD 770–890	95.4% 90.8%	Pinus nigra
YK 16	OxA‐23847	1208 ± 24 BP	cal AD 720–889 cal AD 769–889	95.4% 90.1%	Pinus nigra
YK 16	OxA‐23848	1194 ± 25 BP	cal AD 725–934 cal AD 771–895	95.4% 93.1%	Ulmus sp.
YK 17	OxA‐23843	1242 ± 24 BP	cal AD 685–870	95.4%	Pinus pinea
YK 17	OxA‐23844	1324 ± 25 BP	cal AD 652–769 cal AD 652–719	95.4% 76.9%	Pinus pinea
YK 20	OxA‐23839	1239 ± 24 BP	cal AD 687–871	95.4%	Fagus orientalis
YK 20	OxA‐23840	1144 ± 24 BP	cal AD 782–975 cal AD 855–975	95.4% 83.9%	Quercus
YK 22	OxA‐23849	1519 ± 25 BP	cal AD 435–606 cal AD 529–606	95.4% 75.4%	Cupressus sempervirens
YK 22	OxA‐23850	1550 ± 25 BP	cal AD 430–566	95.4%	Cupressus sempervirens
YK 27	OxA‐23841	1247 ± 25 BP	cal AD 680–869	95.4%	Quercus sp.
YK 27	OxA‐23842	1257 ± 24 BP	cal AD 672–858 cal AD 672–815	95.4% 93.5%	Quercus sp.

Figure 11. YK 18 wreck, drawing and photo‐mosaic. (IU Yenikapı Shipwrecks Project Archive)

Figure 12. YK 19 wreck, drawing and photo‐mosaic. (IU Yenikapı Shipwrecks Project Archive)

Figure 13. YK 20 wreck, drawing and photo‐mosaic. (IU Yenikapı Shipwrecks Project Archive)

Figure 14. YK 26 wreck, drawing and photo‐mosaic. (IU Yenikapı Shipwrecks Project Archive)

Figure 15. YK 3 wreck, drawing and photo‐mosaic. (IU Yenikapı Shipwrecks Project Archive)

Figure 16. YK 10 wreck, drawing and photo‐mosaic. (IU Yenikapı Shipwrecks Project Archive)

Figure 17. YK 15 wreck, drawing and photo‐mosaic. (IU Yenikapı Shipwrecks Project Archive)

Figure 18. YK 21 wreck, drawing and photo‐mosaic. (IU Yenikapı Shipwrecks Project Archive)

Figure 19. YK 29 wreck, drawing and photo‐mosaic. (IU Yenikapı Shipwrecks Project Archive)

Figure 20. YK 31 wreck, drawing and photo‐mosaic. (IU Yenikapı Shipwrecks Project Archive)

Figure 21. YK 32 wreck, drawing and photo‐mosaic. (IU Yenikapı Shipwrecks Project Archive)

Figure 22. YK 34 wreck, drawing and photo‐mosaic. (IU Yenikapı Shipwrecks Project Archive)

Figure 23. YK 17 wreck, drawing and photo‐mosaic. (IU Yenikapı Shipwrecks Project Archive)

Figure 24. YK 22 wreck, drawing and photo‐mosaic. (IU Yenikapı Shipwrecks Project Archive)

Figure 25. YK 27 wreck, drawing and photo‐mosaic. (IU Yenikapı Shipwrecks Project Archive)

Figure 26. YK 35 wreck, drawing and photo‐mosaic. (IU Yenikapı Shipwrecks Project Archive)

Figure 27. YK 13 wreck, drawing and photo‐mosaic. (IU Yenikapı Shipwrecks Project Archive)

Figure 28. YK 16 wreck, drawing and photo‐mosaic. (IU Yenikapı Shipwrecks Project Archive)

Figure 29. YK 25 wreck, drawing and photo‐mosaic. (IU Yenikapı Shipwrecks Project Archive)

Figure 30. YK 36 wreck, drawing and photo‐mosaic. (IU Yenikapı Shipwrecks Project Archive)