The Copper Trade: Ingots, Hoards and Ship Wrecks (Continued)

Ships are often portrayed in Bronze Age imagery, particularly on seals and signet rings. These examples are from Crete and show what a typical Bronze Age ship may have looked like.

Two Bronze Age shipwrecks located off the south coast of Turkey (north west of Cyprus) contained oxhide ingots, among other items, in their cargos. The Cape Gelidonya shipwreck has been dated to c. late 13th century BC, based on the ceramic analysis of pottery finds. Besides oxhide ingots, the cargo included tin, wine, ivory, spices, gold, faience, cloth and large quantities of scrap bronze, which may indicate the presence of travelling metal workers. Lead isotope analysis revealed that the ingots on board were composed of Cypriot copper. The Ulu Burun shipwreck, dated slightly earlier (c. late 14th century BC), had a cargo consisting of raw materials and luxury goods that are thought to have been part of a process of gift-giving between Bronze Age leaders. The cargo of the Ulu Burun shipwreck demonstrates the cultural exchange that was taking place in the Late Bronze age, with goods from the Greek, Central Mediterranean, Black Sea, Canaanite, Cypriot, Egyptian, Kassite, Assyrian and Nubian regions.