Background:
Cala en Busquets is exceptional for its intact archaeological layers, offering continuous harbor use from the Roman era to today. Unlike many Mediterranean ports lost to modern development, it preserves a rare, stratified maritime record.
In 2024, three wrecks (Busquets 1, 2, and 3) were partially excavated, revealing distinct shipbuilding features. 13th-century Islamic ceramics suggest a shared cultural and historical context.
Radiocarbon and wood analysis support a medieval date, while preliminary evidence suggests a possible shared sinking event, such as a storm or rissaga (meteotsunami), may have caused multiple vessels to sink at once.
In 2024, three wrecks (Busquets 1, 2, and 3) were partially excavated, revealing distinct shipbuilding features. 13th-century Islamic ceramics suggest a shared cultural and historical context.
Radiocarbon and wood analysis support a medieval date, while preliminary evidence suggests a possible shared sinking event, such as a storm or rissaga (meteotsunami), may have caused multiple vessels to sink at once.
Mission:
The Menorca Shipwreck Project aims to document and protect Cala en Busquets’ underwater heritage while training future archaeologists.
Objectives include:
• Excavating and recording the shipwrecks
• Establishing chronology and cultural ties through ceramic, radiocarbon, and wood analysis
• Investigating whether a single event caused multiple wrecks
• Publishing findings to advance maritime archaeology
• Supporting student research, including Aymar Maluenda’s PhD on shipbuilding and archaeobotany
• Expanding 2025 excavations to study the keel and keelson of Busquets 1 and the spatial relationships between the wrecks.
Objectives include:
• Excavating and recording the shipwrecks
• Establishing chronology and cultural ties through ceramic, radiocarbon, and wood analysis
• Investigating whether a single event caused multiple wrecks
• Publishing findings to advance maritime archaeology
• Supporting student research, including Aymar Maluenda’s PhD on shipbuilding and archaeobotany
• Expanding 2025 excavations to study the keel and keelson of Busquets 1 and the spatial relationships between the wrecks.
Research Impacts & Applications:
The Menorca Shipwreck Project is uncovering rare data on 13th-century shipbuilding, trade, and harbor use in the Western Mediterranean. Stratified ceramics, wood, and radiocarbon samples help reconstruct vessel construction, cultural exchange, and the role of environmental events like meteotsunamis in maritime history.
These findings contribute to global archaeological research and will be shared through AUB conferences, youth programs with Club Nàutic Ciutadella, U.S. school presentations, and a featured Explorers Cubs event at the Explorers Club HQ in New York—bringing underwater heritage to the next generation.
These findings contribute to global archaeological research and will be shared through AUB conferences, youth programs with Club Nàutic Ciutadella, U.S. school presentations, and a featured Explorers Cubs event at the Explorers Club HQ in New York—bringing underwater heritage to the next generation.
