Replica of the Uluburun Ship which sunk in 1'300 BC near Kirkova, and was found in 1982
Always wondered when trading in the Mediterranean started. Which goods make it worth building ships and risk crossing the open sea? Hunter-Gatherers moved around for food and other things they needed. Early agricultural societies emerging with the domestication of cereals and animals produced everything locally. There was thus little need for trading in large volumes. Maritime trading must be a "young" phenomenon in human history.
Obsidian Knives and Cutters in the Museo Archreologico in Lipari
A candidate could be obsidian, the volcanic glass we found on the island of Lipari when visiting in 2021. A map in its Museo Archeologico shows that the island’s obsidian was found in many neolithic sites in Italy, Southern France and Dalmatia. The traded volumes were probably small though. Obsidian which easily fractures and makes sharp blades, was mainly used for arrow heads and knives. Obsidian stones could be carried in a small leather pouch with no need for special transportation. Also, mined at most volcanoes in the Mediterranean and Anatolia the distances between mining site and end users was short.
Findings of Obsidian Objects from Lipari on Neolithic Sites (6'000 -7'000 BC)
A better candidate maybe copper, the first metal humans used. Recent excavations in Boncuklu Tarla, a 13’000-year-old neolithic settlement on the upper Tigris, found > 100’000 beads. 2’000 made from copper. Clearly, these neolithic people knew how to melt copper and make small jewelry. But it would take another 7’000 years for humans to figure out how to make bigger objects. Melting large amounts of copper requires the ability to build kilns, a technique which reached the Middle East only between 6’000 and 7’000 BC and the know-how to make charcoal - first mentioned in Egyptian texts around 4’000 BC.
Copper Ingots (25 kg) in the Form of Ox Hides - used in Cyprus around 1'500 BC
Cyprus, the copper island, was settled early. Several neolithic settlements were found dating back to 10'000 BC. The first settlers knew how to cross the 50 miles from Anatolia. Wonder what types of boats they had. Sadly, none has been found so far. Cyprus' central Troodos mountains are surrounded by lava pillows rich in copper. Usually, copper makes 70 parts per million of the Earth’s crust, but in Cyprus the average copper content ranges from 0.5% to 4.5%. In a few areas it even reaches 15%. These copper deposits are covered by colorful gossans, rust-colored iron and manganese oxides. The first settlers found them easily.
The Pillow Lavas surrounding the Troodos Mountains in Cyprus with ancient Copper Mines
Still, why would copper become the base of the Mediterranean’s first maritime trading system? We all know about the Phoenicians and the Greeks. But Cypriots? For one, copper was precious. Extracting copper with stone axes was hard and time-consuming. Pottery kilns had to be built. The smeltering of 1 kg of copper requires 300 kg of charcoal or an entire mid-sized cedar tree. Mining copper was labor intensive and expensive.
Gossans, colorful Iron and Manganese Oxides Indicate the Existence of Copper Ore
But it is copper’s versatility that made it precious. Contrary to stone tools, it could be re-used and re-cycled. It was humanities' first versatile material. It could be worn as jewellery. Tripods and other cooking vessels were made from it. One could cast hammers and pick axes. Or make weapons – spear and arrow heads, swords and knives, body armor and helmets. Whilst only half as hard as bronze, it was better than the previous stone tools. Also, it took far less time for making copper tools and weapons.
Copper Tools - the Wooden Shafts are new
An arrow head made from obsidian cannot be recast into a cooking pot. A stone axe cannot become a spear. But copper makes this possible. It is fungible. It can be melted and cast again. Tools to weapons – weapons to tools. Ancient kings immediately recognized the strategic value of the metal and bought as much as they could. It is no coincidence that the first professional armies appear at the same time. With copper, mass production of weapons became feasible. With strategic inventories, copper also became a tool for storing value - the first step towards the development of money.
Burried Copper Stash found in Israel with Tools, various Household Items and Beads
From more than 100 heaps of slag in Cyprus (slag is the waste product), archeologists calculated that 200’000 tons of copper were mined during ancient times. This may look like a big number but when spread over 3’000 years, it is 65 tons per year only. So little metal is barely enough to make 50’000 axe heads. Demand for copper was far higher. It outstripped supply. This mismatch must have driven its price sky high. Cypriots noticed. They regularly participated in religious festivities on the mainland. They knew how to cross the 50 miles to Anatolia. Why not grab the opportunity and export copper to foreign markets?
The Arrows on this Map are Symbols, they do not follow the Prevailing Wind Pattern
Cyprus had other advantages. It was also in the center of the wind system in the Eastern Mediterranean. Westerly winds and sea currents south of Cyprus allow ships to sail from Italy or Greece to Egypt and the Levant. The thermal winds along the Lebanon and Anatolia’s Taurus mountains enabled the same boats to return. Also, like the Lebanon, Cyprus had large cedar forests. It could not have produced the necessary charcoal for smelting copper otherwise. Of course, the very same cedar trees could also be used for building merchant ships. The earliest evidence for copper trading comes from cuneiform tablets from Syria dating back to 1'800 BC. Cypriot copper was exported to Anatolia, Assyria, Egypt, Minoan Crete & Greek Mycenae.
Wind and Sea Current Pattern put Cyprus firmly into the Center of the First Trading System
Copper made Cyprus rich. The island’s name became synonymous with copper. Romans called copper “Aes cyprium”, the metal from Cyprus. “Cyprium” was later shortened to “cuprum” and became “cuivre” in French, “copper” in English and “Cu” in our periodic tables. During the late Bronze Age, there were 12 kingdoms on the island. Until Assyrian time, they were rich and strong enough to defend their independent. With the end of the Bronze Age and the onset of the Iron Age however, copper lost its strategic value. Cyprus’ power base eroded. By the 6th century BC it was a province of the Persian Empire. Still rich, it contributed ships to Persia’s unsuccessful effort to invade and conquer Greece.
It took 10 Years to lift Ship and Cargo to the Surface
41 years ago, in 1982, an ancient vessel was found in 50 meters depth in Uluburun, near Kerkova, an island we are going to visit this summer. It sank in 1’300 BC. The ship was 49 feet long and carried 20 tons of cargo. 10 tons were copper ingots from Cyprus. The precious cargo indicates that this was a royal order. But we do not know the ship's final destination. The simple fact that this ship held 1/6 of Cyprus annual copper production is amazing. After restoration, the Uluburun ship was placed into Bodrum's Maritime Museum. We definitely will visit.
Reconstruction of the Cargo Bay of the Uluburun Ship as shown in the Museum in Bodrum
With its lucrative price tag, copper must have been the trigger that led to maritime trading in the Mediterranean. It probably started gradually. By the late Bronze Age, it was in full swing. The system would not change until the age of steam which started in the early 19th century and made ships independent from wind pattern. It lasted 4'000 years.
Maritime Trading in the Mediterranean from 2'200 BC to 18'50 AD