Seafaring along the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast in the Ottoman Period, Based on the Finds from the Late Eighteenth- Early Nineteenth-Century Kitten Shipwreck

Recent work undertaken by the Black Sea Maritime Archaeology Project in the territorial waters of Bulgaria, uncovered 37 Ottoman-Period shipwrecks, demonstrating the high density of seafaring activities in the Black Sea. Though the finds are important in understanding Ottoman seafaring technology, they provide little information about life on board. The Kitten shipwreck remains the sole fully excavated nautical site of this period in the Black Sea. This article discusses artifacts found on board this late eighteenth- early nineteenth-century shipwreck, excavated on the southern Bulgarian coast. The finds offer insights into shipboard life, the religious background of the crew, and support historical references to the family nature of seafaring ventures.