Although the world is filled with historical events that happened on the ground, much of our planet’s history has become lost beneath the surface. In the waters of the Mediterranean, countless untold stories of everyday life remain buried, waiting to be discovered.
One such story emerged in 1965, off the northern coast of Cyprus, when local diving instructor Andreas Cariolou made a serendipitous find. While diving for sponges near the town of Kyrenia, he stumbled upon the remains of an ancient Greek merchant ship lying quietly on the seabed. What he found would become one of the most significant archaeological discoveries of the 20th century: the Kyrenia ship. What made the discovery so extraordinary wasn’t treasure in the traditional sense. The ship, just 14 metres long, was loaded with nearly 400 amphorae (large ceramic storage jars) filled with wine, olive oil, and almonds.
These were not luxury items for royals, but everyday trade goods: simple, essential commodities that offered an unparalleled, treasure-filled glimpse into ancient commercial life.
For decades, archaeologists dated the ship’s final voyage to around 300 BCE, primarily based on the design and contents of the amphorae. But more recent studies, using advanced methods like radiocarbon dating and dendrochronology (tree-ring dating), have provided even more precise information.
By analysing wood fragments, plant twigs, and even animal bones found aboard, researchers led by Professor Sturt Manning of Cornell University now believe the ship sank between 286 and 272 BCE, during the Hellenistic period.
The ship is believed to have been part of a network of small-scale traders or perhaps even semi-legal merchants—ancient counterparts to what we might today call “gray market” operators. They likely operated along coastal trade routes, outside the larger commercial systems controlled by major ports or political powers. Astonishingly, it would have operated during the lifetime of Alexander the Great.
Professor Tassos Papacostas, a historian involved in Cypriot maritime studies, has noted that what makes the Kyrenia ship so compelling is how “it represents the life of ordinary seafarers rather than the elite.”
No gold, no statuary, and no fine pottery were found, only the kind of goods that suggest the crew was made up of modest traders. Although it’s possible that more valuable cargo was looted either in antiquity or shortly after the wreck, the most plausible interpretation is that these were working-class mariners engaged in routine commerce.
In addition to the cargo, the hull of the Kyrenia was remarkably well-preserved, allowing archaeologists to study its construction in detail.
It featured shell-first construction, a technique where planks were joined edge-to-edge before being reinforced with internal frames. This style is a hallmark of ancient Greek shipbuilding and offers valuable insight into the maritime technology of the classical world.
The wreck also held personal items, such as tools, utensils, and even gaming pieces, painting a fuller picture of life at sea for ancient sailors. These everyday artefacts provide a rare and intimate view into their world and show how they lived, what they ate, and how they navigated the Mediterranean centuries ago.
Today, the reconstructed remains of the ship are housed in the Kyrenia Castle Shipwreck Museum in Northern Cyprus, where a full-scale replica, Kyrenia II, has also been built and sailed in experimental voyages to test the seaworthiness of ancient designs.
