ZAKYNTHOS - SINIALO REEF - 2014

Zakynthos, Sinialo reef. A. Dellaporta (then Director, EMA, now Director, 2nd EBA) reports the excavation of a 16th-century Spanish wreck one nautical mile outside Zakynthos harbour (Fig. 1).

The northern part of the wreck was investigated in 1994−1997 and the southern part in 2000. (Fig. 2) The well-preserved ship’s timbers give further details of its construction. Among the masses of material in the hold were the timbers of barrels some of which contained different grades of walnut (Fig. 3). Other finds include domestic pottery, faience and glazed wares, glass vessels, metal cooking vessels, animal bones and olive pits, three Spanish coins, two tobacco pipes and cannon shot (Figs 4-6).
Further research on the central part in 2014, with part of the keelson and the middle deck. The wreck occurred slightly after the battle of Navarino, and is the only ship found of the Spanish fleet in the period of Philip II (as attested by silver coins from more than one issue dating to his reign, and by an engraved weapon handle).