I got so excited when I first heard about the finds made at Yenikapı, the ancient harbour to the south of Istanbul’s historic peninsula (now part of mainland Istanbul). In 2004, the Turkish authorities began an important transport project in the area, and once they started digging they immediately found objects of interest. Archaeologists were quickly appointed to lead the excavations and, over the past five years, they have discovered material of the highest importance for the cultural history of the world. Truly sensational are the 31 Byzantine shipwrecks uncovered at the Theodosian Harbour at Yenikapi. These have been carefully excavated and are shedding new light on trade, society, and also the intricacies of ship building in the Byzantine period.
Now at last, the digs at Yenikapi have been published in the above book, which is illustrated with many very beautiful colour photographs.
This article is an extract from the full article published in World Archaeology Issue 38. Click here to subscribe