Late antiquity nautical assemblage from Amorgos island in Greece

A rescue excavation on Amorgos island brought to light an assemblage comprising carbonised textiles, cordage, rope, wood, and stone fragments. This article presents a technical and instrumental analysis aimed at understanding and characterising these finds. Utilising optical and Scanning Electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infra-red (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy, and CT-scanning, the analyses support the hypothesis that the assemblage constitutes nautical gear, including sails, rigging, mast components, wooden vessel parts, and a stone fishing weight. Analysis identified cellulosic bast fibres; the use of deciduous alongside coniferous trees; and flint. Radiocarbon dating placed the find to the transition between Late Antiquity and the Early Byzantine period, specifically between the mid-6th and mid-8th centuries AD. The interpretation of this material as a nautical assemblage, along with the successful application of instrumental analysis for material identification, is highly significant, as such finds are exceptionally rare in Greece.