Stone to Lead: The Anchor from the Dor L2 Cargo and the Chronology of Composite Anchors from the 7th‒4th Centuries BCE

A wood and lead anchor stock found in underwater excavations at the Dor Lagoon belongs to a cargo of amphorae and iron blooms, designated as the Dor L2 site, dated to the late 7th‒early 6th centuries Before Current Era (BCE). This anchor is contemporary with the earliest composite wooden anchors found in the Mediterranean, such as those from Mazarrón 2 and Karaburun. This article provides detailed typological and technological analyses of the anchor stock from Dor, as well as further insights stemming from a reevaluation of the chrono-typology of composite anchors in the Mediterranean through an analysis of well-dated key finds from other sites. It addresses the questions of the dates of the first appearance of composite anchors and the transition from stone stocks to wood and lead stocks, as well as the appearance of one- and two-armed anchor variants.