Antiquities Exhibits

(condensed from the Master's thesis of Troy Joseph Nowak, Texas A&M University, 2006, "Archaeological Evidence for Ship Eyes: An Analysis of Their Form and Function  ( https://nautarch.tamu.edu/pdf-files/Nowak-MA2006.pdf#:~:text=bows%20of%20ancient%20Greek%20ships%20between%20the%205th,guided%20the%20ship%20and%20helped%20to%20avoid%20hazards .) Between the Bronze Age and the 3rd century BCE, all types of watercraft used in the Mediterranean from small boats to large galleys were commonly adorned with eyes on their bows.  In Greece, the earliest clear depiction of a ship with eyes is a Late Helladic clay ship model decorated with circular eyes discovered at Phylakopi, Melos. However, ship representations with eyes do not reappear in the archaeological record again until the Geometric Period.  Excavations in the Dipylon cemetery at Athens have yielded an impressive collection of Late Geometric I [c. 760 to 735 BCE] ceramics decorated with ships. Eyes adorn the bows of ...

Replica of a reed Egyptian sailing vessel to be permanently displayed in Patara, Turkey.  The Abora IV, a replica constructed from totora reeds and wood using an old Egyptian paintings as a reference, has been donated to the city of Patara in Turkey by German archaeologist Dominique Goerlitz.  The ancient city of Patara was a hub for Egyptian traders in ancient times and is believed to have anchored such reed boats.  The 14-meter-long ship was built in Varna, Bulgaria with reeds brought from Bolivia.  Captained by Goerlitz, the Abora IV set sail August 1, passing through the Bosphorus to reach the northwest coast of Çanakkale, docking at at the Port of Kaş on September 19, 2019. Image: The reed and wood vessel, Abora IV, a replica of an ancient Egyptian sailing vessel image courtesy of Turkey's Foreign Ministry.