Page 27 - TINA Dergi Sayi 09

TINA

Maritime Archaeology Periodical

‘But the greatest marvel of all the things in the land gun to scrutinize theories about the geography of
after the city itself, to my mind is this which I am the land to which they arrived and their sea routes. 47
about to tell: Their boats, those I mean which go Having examined the first intense sea traffic in the
down the river to Babylon, are round and all of Mediterranean and Aegean Seas, suggestions have
leather: for they make ribs for them of willow which been made. Based on the available data, it is ob-
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they cut in the land of the Armenians who dwell vious that Tatlısu Çiftlikdüzü was both an entrance
above the Assyrians, and round these they stretch gate to the island and played a significant role in
hides which serve as a covering outside by way of distribution and/or a trade network of raw materials
hull, not making broad the stern nor gathering in the across the island during the Early Neolithic peri-
prow to a point, but making the boats round like a od. In addition to terrestial archaeological surveys,
shield: and after that they stow the whole boat with excavations on the northern coasts of Cyprus have
straw and let it to be carried down the stream full yielded evidence of a more intense human-sea and
of cargo; and for the most part these boats bring Cypro-Anatolian interaction compared to the south-
down casks of palm-wood filled with wine. The ern parts. While the obsidians of Anatolian origin
boat is kept straight by two steering-oars and two show a connection between Anatolia and Cyprus, it
men standing upright, and the man inside pulls his is not possible to say that the central Anatolian com-
oar while the man outside pushes. These vessels are munities had a knowledge of seafaring. Therefore,
made both of very large size and also smaller, the we should look for coastal settlements which may
largest of them having a burden of as much as five have had maritime activities and acted as a bridge
thousand talents’ weight; and in each one there is a and/or mediator between Cyprus and Central Ana-
live ass, and in those of larger size several. So when tolia. With this in mind, it is very important to focus
they have arrived at Babylon in their voyage and on the northern shores of Cyprus, as well as on the
have disposed of their cargo, they sell by auction southern shores of Turkey (particularly the Mersin
the ribs of the boat and all the straw, but they pack Gülnar shoreline, Dana and Badadil islands, and
the hides upon their asses and drive them off to Ar- even the Silifke shoreline) and conduct comparative
menia: for up the stream of the river it is not pos- studies to identify sites reflecting these potential
sible by any means to sail, owing to the swiftness connections. Upon discovery of such settlements,
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of the current; and for this reason they make their research on Cypriot and Turkish prehistory will
boats not of timber but of hides. Then when they gain a new dimension.
have come back to the land of the Armenians, driv- Based on the geological formation of Beşparmak
ing their asses with them, they make other boats in Mountains, it appears that caves such as Beldibi and
the same manner (Translated into Turkish by Azra Öküzini in the northern part of the island have the
Erhat)’ . potential to shed light even on periods like the Pa-
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COnCLUSIOn leolithic-Mesolithic.
In light of the archaeological surveys and exca- ACKnOwLeDGementS
vations conducted on Cyprus, with the date of the I would like to thank Sera Yelözer, Fatma Kalkan,
first settlers/visitors to Cyprus being pushed up to and Pembe Yakupoğulları for their valuable contri-
increasingly earlier time periods, this paper has be- butions.
46 HErODOT TArİHİ I:194 (Translated into Turkish 47 pELTENBURG –WASSE 2004; 2001; VIGNE
by AZrA ErHAT). 48 It is pleasing to see that archaeologists working in
49
HErODOT TArİHİ I:194 (Translation: AZrA ErHAT).
46
2009.
BROADBANK 2016; ÇILINGIROĞLU 2017
47 pELTENBURG –WASSE 2004; 2001; VIGNE 2009. such a close geography to each other have recently started
48 BROOADBANK 2016; ÇİLİNGİROĞLU 2017. to exchange information and conduct collaborative projects.
However, it is sad and challenging to see that it took so long to
49 It is pleasing to see that archaeologists working in such a close geography to each other have recently started to exchange information
and conduct collaborative projects. conduct these studies.

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