A cargo of lead ingots from a shipwreck off Ashkelon, Israel 11th–13th centuries AD

Ehud Galili, Baruch Rosen, Sarah Arenson, Yoram Nir-El, David Jacoby

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    Abstract

    Shipwreck cargo of lead ingots, some marked, discovered off Tel Ashkelon, weighed about four tonnes. C14 analysis of charred wood from an ingot dated it to the 11th–13th centuries AD, Crusader times. Lead isotopic ratios provenanced the ingots to Mont-Lozère, France. Various aspects of the lead trade are discussed, including: lead sources, extraction, casting, lead in the international maritime trade, weight units in medieval trade, prices, transportation, sale and storage, lead cargo and ballast, reconstruction of the wrecking event, salvage after the vessel was wrecked, Ashkelon as a trading coastal town in the 11th–13th centuries AD, and the possible destination of the cargo.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)453-465
    Number of pages13
    JournalInternational Journal of Nautical Archaeology
    Volume48
    Issue number2
    DOIs
    StatePublished - 2019

    Bibliographical note

    Funding Information:
    This study has been carried out within the INFN project (Iniziativa Specifica) QFT-HEP.

    Publisher Copyright:
    © 2019 The Authors. International Journal of Nautical Archaeology © 2019 The Nautical Archaeology Society.

    Keywords

    • Cairo Geniza
    • Crusader Period
    • Metal trade
    • salvage
    • underwater archaeology

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Oceanography
    • History
    • Archaeology
    • Paleontology

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'A cargo of lead ingots from a shipwreck off Ashkelon, Israel 11th–13th centuries AD'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this