Kyrenia Shipwreck Temporal Reconstruction Project

Daniel Adams, Andrew Woods, and Jeremy N. Green

The Kyrenia Shipwreck (300 BC) Temporal Reconstruction Project allows visitors to interactively visualise the multiple three-dimensional layers of a shipwreck site. The shipwreck site was discovered in 1965 and excavated 1967-1969. During the excavation, individual layers of the excavation were extensively photographed. Photogrammetric 3D reconstruction techniques have been used to create digital 3D models of the individual layers. Additionally, the three-dimensional layout of the amphorae and millstones in the cargo have been turned into a CAD model, and the two parts of the separated hull have been rejoined to closely match the original form at the time of sinking. The resultant model can be explored in a way that has never been possible before.

L0 as found 1967
L1 site early 1968
L2 site mid 1968
L3 site end of 1968
L4 site & hull early 1969
L5 hull mid 1969
L6 hull end 1969
Hull parts joined together
Rebuilt hull in Castle 2020
Amphorae models
Millstone models
ROTATION ON/OFF
LOOP THROUGH ON/OFF

Controls

Use your left mouse button to rotate the model, right mouse button to pan, and scroll wheel to zoom. Use the checkboxes on the right-hand-side to switch between different levels, to follow a rotational camera path around the site, and to auto cycle between the levels.

About the Project

292 rolls of 35mm black and white film were captured of the Kyrenia shipwreck site in the 1960s. These images were digitally scanned and processed using photogrammetric 3D reconstruction (P3DR) techniques to build a temporal 3D model of the wreck and its cargo. P3DR processing on legacy datasets can provide a much richer cognitive understanding of underwater sites as compared to other techniques such as hand drawn site diagrams. The temporal 3D model can be a source of new information and can allow archaeologists and the broader public to revisit and explore underwater heritage locations that are essentially frozen in a time capsule. The project now allows visitors to take an unprecedented look at the excavation and photographic surveys of the Kyrenia (300 BC) wrecksite conducted over three years during 1967-1969. This work is the continuation of projects undertaken by Curtin HIVE interns Pierre Tenedero in 2020 and Hassan Elsayed in 2021.

Further Information

Short form article: Jeremy Green, Daniel Adams, Andrew Woods (2022) "The Kyrenia Ship Three-dimensional Modelling Project", AIMA Newsletter, March-June 2022, Australasian Institute for Maritime Archaeology.