Environment and Agency in the Formation of the Eastern Ship Graveyard in the Central Basin at Thonis-Heracleion, Egypt

The Depositional Contexts of the Ships from Thonis-Heracleion, Egypt

“…Certain periods of time are more strongly represented than others, most likely those in which there were large programmes of infrastructural development that called for the reuse of old ships (Fabre and Belov, : 116, fig. ; Robinson, : 216; also see Ford, : 212). Obviously set against this are individual events, such as shipwrecks, or the periodic dumping of unwanted vessels in the western ship graveyard in the Central Port.…”

“…We consequently need to ask appropriate questions of the assemblage: why are ships clustered in particular areas and how do they inform and are informed by our interpretations of the evolving landscape (cf. Robinson et al ., )?…”

“…When sufficient hulls had been made ready, ship 43 was ballasted with pieces of local limestone, which overlie the Nile silt and clay layer. The ship was then floated out into position on the water where it was tethered to long piles sunk deeply into the clays of the harbour bottom to hold the vessel into position floating alongside others (Robinson, : 213–216).…”

“…The position of the ships in the eastern graveyard would suggest that they were staked into place after the partial silting up of the North Eastern Channel to the Nile in the late 5th century BC. The radiocarbon dates for the securing piles, and the pine fluke of an elongated composite stone anchor found on ship 43, may all date to after the closure (Robinson, : 216; cf. Abd el‐Maguid, ).…”

“…E). Unlike the eastern graveyard, which is characterized by ships of the same shape, size and date (Robinson, : 218), there appears to be more variation in the vessels deposited in the west. There is also no evidence for piles and the tethering of ships.…”