The amphorae of the Ma‘agan Mikhael B shipwreck: preliminary report

Ongoing excavations of the Maʻagan Mikhael B shipwreck have revealed the largest maritime cargo assemblage of Byzantine and Early Islamic ceramics discovered along the Israeli coast to date. Dated between the mid-7th and the mid-8th century CE, the nearly 20-metre-long shipwreck has yielded a cargo of various types of amphorae, including the Late Roman amphora (LRA) types LR 1, LR 2/globular amphorae, LR 4, and LR 5, several bearing inscriptions or dipinti. Some of the jars had stoppers of leather, stone and ceramic, and contained remains of various preserved foodstuffs. The significance of the cargo amphorae is relevant to the discussion of maritime trade networks during the late 7th and early 8th centuries in the Palestinian region, specifically, the information on inter-regional contacts and exchange during the transitional period between the Byzantine and Islamic eras.