If you break up Greece into pieces the three things you are going to get are an olive tree, a vineyard and a ship. With these three things you can rebuilt the country. The above words belong to a famous poet and there is no doubt that the Kyrenia ship, the oldest Greek vessel ever excavated, is a unique monument not only for Cyprus but also for the history of sea archaeology. The Kyrenia ship is the wreck of a 4th-century BC Greek merchant ship. It was discovered by Greek-Cypriot diving instructor Andreas Cariolou in November 1965 during a storm. Having lost the exact position Cariolou carried out more than 200 dives until he re-discovered the wreck in 1967 close to Kyrenia in Cyprus. Michael Katzev, a graduate student at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, directed a salvage expedition from 1967-69. Preservation of the ships timbers continued during the winter of 1970. Katzev later was a co-founder of the Institute of Nautical Archaeology. The find was extensively covered in a documentary by the BBC. The ship was considered to be very well preserved with approximately 75% of it in good condition. It found a new home at the Ancient Shipwreck Museum in Kyrenia Castle, where it remains on exhibit. This trading ship was loaded with Rhodian wine in amphorae (big jars) and volcanic grain from the island of Kos. There are indications that the vessel made some port on Cyprus and on its way out it sank less than a mile of Kyrenia. From evidence gathered so far it is suggested that the Kyrenia ship was operating between Dodecanese islands, Cyprus and Syria, along the Anatolian coast. The ship had a length of 14,75m (47 ft) and width 3,4m (14,5 ft) with 1,4m at the bow and the stern. It is estimated that the sail’s dimensions were 10.7m times 6m (64m2). The first things to be pulled up were the 404 amphorae filled with more than 10,000 almonds. The carbon derived from them was not only used for the radiometric detecting of the ship but also to specify the date of the almonds at 212-324 BC. With the same method of radio carbon, the bronze coins found are dated around 345-433 BC. It is finally estimated that the ship was 300 years old when lost. The 404 amphorae are dated at the end of the 4th century BC and three different kinds of then were pulled up. The Small and Large Rhodian and the Samian amphorae indicate that they were loaded from different sea ports of Rhodos, Samos and Cyprus. Only 34 amphorae were sealed with the letters API which probably specify the manufacturer’s initials. Three Samian amphorae had an O typed and encircled on their handles. Only seven bronze coins were found but two of them help to specify the wreck’s era. One of the coins was cut during the Antigonos Monofthalmos (316-310 BC) reign and had a shield with a lion’s head on the one side and a Macedonian helmet on the other. The second coin was cut during the reign of Dimirtios Poliorkitis (306-294 BC), son of Antigonos, and had a head with a helmet at the front and a ship’s bow at the back. The eight spearheads are considered to be an important find. The fact that some of the spearheads were bend enabled the scientists to state that the ship was attacked by pirates. This point of view is enforced by the fact that no personal belongings of the crew or precious objects, other than the seven coins, were found. It is believed that the ship’s crew was consisted by four sailors. There were four sets of domestic utensils including four wooden spoons, four plates, four oil jugs, four plates and a copper cauldron. The history of winemaking in Cyprus is very old, one of the oldest in the world. Recent excavations by Italian archaeologists have revealed the sensational truth that in this small island the production of wine dates back some 6000 years. At the village of Pyrgos in Lemesos district, two jugs were found which had been used for wine – even grape pips were traced! At the village of Erimi eighteen pots were unearthed, twelve of which had been used for wine at some period between 3500 and 3000 BC. This cultural heritage is the oldest in the whole Mediterranean basin and leads to the assumption that Cyprus triggered the spread of winemaking to Greece, Italy, France and other regions. There is an abundance of archaeological findings which provide ample evidence that viticultural activities in Cyprus date back to the depths of time. There are unique ancient mosaics portraying god Dionysus (Bacchus), very old wine-presses at the villages of Omodos, Lania and elsewhere and amphorae and other wine-related pots crowding the islands archaeological museums. They are all tangible proof of Cyprus viticultural history through the centuries, testaments of an awe-inspiring heritage in winemaking. Studies indicate that the grape varieties in Cyprus are some of the oldest in the world. Fashions change however and Cyprus has had to adapt its wine industry. Foreign varieties, like Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Carignan Noir, Chardonnay and Semillon, have been successfully introduced in the past 20 years and are used for blending with the local varieties, as well as producing small quantities of varietal wines. In the early 1980s, small wineries of 50.000 to 300.000 bottles-a-year capacity were set up on the hill villages of the grape growing regions. There are now more than 40 regional wineries which are producing more diversified and characterful wines. The first of these was at Chrysoroyiatissa Monastery in the Paphos district, whose Monte Roya winery was established with German technology and equipment, making a range of good quality wines. Whilst this exciting development has been taking place, the four traditional wineries (ETKO, KEO, SODAP and LOEL) have also been very active. They have planted hundreds of thousands of new vines of well known international varieties and re-discovered old indigenous ones. Their laboratories have researched new production techniques and their oenologists have introduced new styles and brands. All this of course is good for the wine lovers. There is a wide range of wines to choose from at prices that still represent very good value. The Cyprus wine industry has a battle on its hands, but everybody in the sector is confident that the island will ultimately get the place it deserves on the international wine map. After all, Cyprus wines continue a wonderful 5.000 year-long tradition of enjoyment! ***Wikipedia ***Nostos ***Wines of Cyprus
Posted on: Wed, 03 Dec 2014 04:01:55 +0000
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