L/B:
65-80 × 23 (20-24m × 7m). Built:
mid-10th cent.
Situated in the Bay of Agay southeast of Cape Dramont, France (in 43°25N, 6°52E), the "wreck of the jars" was first noticed by fisherman who pulled up amphorae in their nets. Lying some 300 meters offshore at a depth of 40-50 meters, the Agay wreck was excavated by Alain Visquis and P. Danneyrol beginning in 1968. The Agay ship was a merchant vessel, probably Arab, and the recovered cargo consisted primarily of amphorae and other jars, most if not all of which are thought to have originated in Spain. Other miscellaneous items included basalt grinding stones, copper vessels, and some 250 bronze ingots. Also found with the larger vessel was the ship's boat, in which lay the remains of a man aged twenty-five-thirty-five years. Both the ship and the boat are early examples of the "skeleton-first" hull construction that originated in this period and which forms the basis of contemporary naval architecture. There are no joints in the planking, which is attached to the frames with iron nails.
Parker, Ancient Shipwrecks of the Mediterranean.
