During the 1st millennium AD ship‐construction changed. Previously, ships were built ‘shell‐first’—strakes were installed before frames, giving the hull its shape and integrity. About the mid‐1st millennium AD the concept and construction of hulls changed to being shaped by transverse frames fixed to the keel, reinforced by longitudinal members. During the transition varying combinations of the two technologies were used. It has been widely accepted that the transition was completed by the beginning of the 2nd millennium. Recent discoveries, mainly in Dor/Tantura lagoon and lately in Yenikapı, analyses of other hulls, and reassessment of evidence, indicate an earlier completion of the transition. Since this process was the result of many factors, including economic and social, and occurred in different areas of the Mediterranean at different times, no simple linear development is suggested, but a more complex process, which raises questions for future research. © 2012 The Authors

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Tantura F is the first wreck excavated so far in the eastern Mediterranean dated to the beginning of the 8th century AD (the local early Islamic period), based on 14 C and pottery analysis. Among the finds were the remains of about 30 ceramic vessels, two anchors, food remnants, fish-bones, a needle, a spoon and a glass vessel. Tantura F was c .15 m long and 5 m wide, and hull remains comprise keel, frames, planks, stringers, mast-step, and other internal components. Construction features clearly indicate frame-based construction, considerably earlier than it is generally thought to have been first employed.

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Dor 2001/1 was a Byzantine coaster, about 16.9 m long, with an estimated displacement of 50 tonnes, dated to the first third of the 6th century CE, and loaded with building stones. It was excavated over five seasons, recorded under water, and a section of the shipwreck was retrieved and studied on land. The hull construction was based on frames without any type of planking edge-fasteners. It is thus among the earliest frame-based shipwrecks found so far in the Mediterranean. The origin of its construction tradition, with flat frames amidships, hard chine and straight sides, might have been related to a riverine tradition. T he Dor 2001/1 shipwreck was discovered in Dor/Tantura lagoon (Fig. 1) during a survey with water-jet probes. The search was conducted by students of the Department of Maritime Civilizations, with the assistance of the Maritime Workshop of the Leon Recanati Institute for Maritime Studies of the University of Haifa. The shipwreck was excavated over five seasons, from 2002 to 2006.The shipwreck is located at 32°36'28" N, 34°54'56.5" E, 70 m offshore, 2-3 m east of the lagoon's navigation channel. It is oriented approximately north-west/south-east, at a water depth of about 1.5 m, and is buried under about 1.5 m of sand. The water depth and the thickness of the sand layer change during the seasons, as a result of sand movements resulting from varying sea conditions-wind, waves and currents.The total length of the find was 11.5 m, its maximum width was 4.5 m, and the dimensions of the original hull have been estimated at 16.9 × 5.4 m. It was recorded under water, and a 2.5-m-long section of the hull was removed and studied in the laboratory at the University of Haifa.Among the finds were building stones, matting, ropes, and a wooden roundel. Although abundant 4-7th century CE pottery sherds were found in the site, a cautious approach in accepting these as in situ ceramics led to dating the shipwreck by 14 C analysis, including wiggle-matching, to the first third of the 6th century CE.The significance of the Dor 2001/1 hull is in its frame-based construction at this date, which is early for this construction feature; and its cross-section-flat frames amidships, hard chine and straight sides. It was not, however, a barge, but a sailing vessel with a pointed end.Several articles have been published on the shipwreck, and it has been presented at several conferences Mor and Kahanov, 2006;Kahanov and Mor, 2009;Mor, 2010a;Mor, 2010b). This report summarizes the research and its conclusions.The hull (Fig. 2) About a quarter of the wooden hull survived, comprising about three-quarters of the bottom, up to the chine strake on the south-western side, and up to the second wale on the north-eastern side. The remains of one endpost survived at the north-western end of the shipwreck, while at the south-eastern end the hull was broken, perhaps about 2 m before the end of the keel timber. Generally, the north-western part of the shipwreck survived in a better state of preservation than the south-eastern, as it was ...