For three summers between
1999 and 2001 INA sponsored the excavation of a Classical Greek shipwreck off the Turkish coast at Tektas Burnu. The excavation was supervised by Director George Bass and Assistant Director Deborah Carlson, and staffed by a fabulous team of students, professionals, and volunteers from Turkey, the U.S., Canada, Spain, the U.K., Holland, Israel, and Australia.

The wreck, which lies along a rugged and remote stretch of coastline southeast of Çesme and west of Sigacik, was located in 1996 during one of INA’s annual survey for shipwrecks. The name of the site, Turkish for “cape of the lone rock,” is derived from the large island of Tektaş Ada, which is located just off the coast, some 100 yards south of the wrecksite. Tektaş Burnu could easily be described as one of the most inhospitable and unforgettable places in the Mediterranean. The cliffs above the wrecksite consist of jagged spires of friable rock; during early visits to the site we found it difficult, if not impossible, to come ashore on foot. During the summer, the site is completely exposed to the northwesterly meltem winds, which often blow all afternoon, and reach gale force during the night. Many nights we lay awake wondering if our little cabanas would be able to withstand the relentless wind.