Search for Napried wreck revives debate over Cyprus antiquities

Nicosia, Cyprus. More than 150 years after it sank, the Napried remains a legendary wreck in underwater archaeology, carrying thousands of ancient artefacts excavated in Cyprus by former American consul Luigi Palma di Cesnola.

Recovery objective

Napried Exploration, established to search for the wreck, says it aims to locate the vessel, recover the antiquities and return them to Cyprus.

“Ideally, I’d wish to see the ship and its holdings brought to the surface and serve as an exhibition piece in Cyprus,” the group’s founder, Dr Charles Mazel, told the Cyprus Mail.

Lost collection

The Napried was bound from Beirut to Boston when it caught fire and sank in 1872. Its cargo formed part of the collection amassed by Cesnola, whose removal of antiquities from Cyprus contributed to the dispersal of a substantial portion of the island’s archaeological heritage abroad.

Cesnola, who later became the first director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, has faced widespread criticism over his methods. Some have described his activities as closer to antiquarian looting than archaeological excavation.

Much of his collection ultimately reached New York, including 275 crates acquired by the Metropolitan Museum. The museum’s surviving holdings include more than 6,000 works from Cyprus.

Heritage debate

Advances in deep-sea technology have made recovery more feasible, raising the question of whether the wreck should remain on the seabed or whether Cyprus should seek to recover one of its largest lost collections.

Interest in the Napried has continued among historians, nautical enthusiasts and private exploration groups. Napried Exploration argues that, although Cesnola may have acted legally under Ottoman law, modern archaeological ethics support the repatriation of cultural heritage where possible.