Rhodes 4, last quarter of the 12th century
Country: Greece
Place: Central Port of Rhodes, west of the Pier of Angels
Coordinates (approximate): 36.4420, 28.2300
Type: Frame-based round ship of considerable size, carrying amphorae
Identified: No
Dated: Last quarter of the twelfth century, from the artefacts; a calibrated radiocarbon date of AD 1020-1155 and the amphora typology (twelfth-thirteenth centuries) were obtained earlier
Beam: Unknown.
Keel Length: Unknown.
Length Overall: Unknown.
Number of Masts: Unknown.
History of the wreck
Surveys by the Hellenic Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities in 2007-2008 found three wrecks inside the Central Port of Rhodes (Koutsouflakis and Rieth 2017: 1). Rhodes 4 was located in April 2008, in the last days of the survey, almost entirely buried except for the broken tips of some frames. A preliminary trench showed considerable hull structure and a whole assemblage of amphorae. The amphora typology suggested the twelfth to thirteenth centuries, and a calibrated radiocarbon date from a wood sample gave AD 1020-1155 (Koutsouflakis and Rieth 2017: 2).
In 2013 the stern and the earlier trench amidships were excavated. The artefacts, including datable tableware, show that the ship was lost in the last quarter of the twelfth century. The after part of the ship had burned before it sank, but there is no evidence of whether the fire was accidental or the result of military action. This period coincides with the weak rule of the Angeloi emperors in Constantinople (1185-1204) and the rise of an independent state on Rhodes under Leo Gabalas (c. 1204-1240) (Macrides 2007: 50, 100-101).
See also the fiches of Rhodes 1 (Med276) and Rhodes 2 (Med298).
Description of the site
The wreck lies in the Central Port, west of the Pier of Angels, buried under sediment. The broken amphorae that fill and protect the hull made recording difficult (Koutsouflakis and Rieth 2017: 2, 4).
Figure 1. Site plan of the Rhodes 4 shipwreck (after Koutsouflakis 2017: 486).
Cargo
An almost homogeneous cargo of amphorae, with tableware (Koutsouflakis and Rieth 2017: 2, 4).
Ballast
Not reported.
Anchors
Not reported.
Guns
Not applicable.
Iron concretions
Not reported.
Hull Remains
The limited excavation of 2013 showed a large frame-based round ship (Koutsouflakis and Rieth 2017: 4). The axial timbers suggest a large, heavily built vessel, but the frames are smaller than would be expected, and the planking is thin.
The after section suggests a flat floor with a hard chine, the futtocks flaring outward at 71-72°; further work may show a round bilge, more typical of later round ships (Koutsouflakis and Rieth 2017: 9).
Keel, keelson and mast step
The after part of the keel is a massive timber (29.5 x 18+ cm), with rabbets presumably continuing to the missing sternpost. The keel ends abruptly in a scarf to the curved sternpost; too little survives to tell whether it was a hook or half-lap scarf, but a bolt was driven vertically through it (Koutsouflakis and Rieth 2017: 4, 7-8).
The recessed keelson was probably fastened to the keel between the frames (Koutsouflakis 2017: 495).
Frames
The frames consist of floor timbers overlapping futtocks; every futtock lies against the after face of the next floor timber. Both are moulded more than sided, and the room-and-space ratio is about 1:1. The floor timbers are nailed to the keel. The hull was not dismantled, so it is not known whether floors and futtocks were joined with fastenings or scarfs; an exposed futtock (F101W) suggests a hook scarf (Rieth et al. 2015: 18-19).
Planking
The planking is thin (2.5 cm), fastened with two nails per frame and no treenails (Koutsouflakis and Rieth 2017: 9; Rieth et al. 2015: 20).
Ceiling, thick stuff, and wales
Sister keelsons lie over the frames, not next to the keelson; further out there is a middle stringer and a separate bilge stringer. They support transverse ceiling, as on the Serçe Limanı wreck. A rebate along the upper edges of the keelson gives a lip on which the ceiling planks rest (Koutsouflakis 2017: 495).
Caulking
Not reported.
Size and scantlings
Keel (after part): 29.5 x 18+ cm. Room-and-space ratio about 1:1. Futtocks flaring at 71-72°. Planking 2.5 cm thick.
Wood
Not reported.
Bibliography
Koutsouflakis, G. 2017. “Three medieval shipwrecks.” [Full reference to be completed.]
Koutsouflakis, G., and Rieth, E. 2017. [Full reference to be completed.]
Macrides, R. 2007. [Full reference to be completed.]
Rieth, E., et al. 2015. [Full reference to be completed.]
Bendig, C. 2021. [Full reference to be completed.]