Date: 4th Century BCE
Era: Hellenistic
Location: Albanian Coast
Cargo: Corinthian B amphoras, lead anchor stock tableware
This area (AB08-AH) has a variety of objects that include amphoras, coarse ware, and a lead-anchor stock. The amphoras in the deposit area vary greatly in type and date, and include examples of: Corinthian A from the 5th – 4th century BCE, Corinthian B from the 4th century BC, Corinthian B from the 3rd century BCE, Late Roman 2 from the 4th-7th century CE, an apparent N. African type of the Roman Imperial era, and a base probably from a Late Roman 1 amphora. The overwhelming majority of the ceramic material is from the 4th century BCE, and of Corinthian type amphoras; thus it is possible that a Greek wreck of this era is located in the immediate vicinity or nearby.
The lead anchor stock among the material is similar to the one found at the Butrint 1 wreck site, and is consistent with Late Classical-Early Hellenistic anchor types. Furthermore, with the coarseware in the area, there is a strong possibility of a shipwreck cargo in the area that is buried in the soft sediment further upslope.
Another possibility that could explain fewer amphoras for a wreck site here is that the vessel was carrying a perishable cargo such as foodstuffs and/or textiles, or possibly people. Further investigation in this area is certainly warranted based on the finds thus far.