Archaeologists at Work 



A diver brings a first-century B.C. Greets 

 amphora to ttie surface near ttie island of 

 Corfu. It was found at a depth of 130 feet. 



By far the greatest amount of work in underwater archaeology 

 has been done in the Mediterranean, and for obvious reasons. Al- 

 though the Mediterranean may not be the only cradle of civili2ation, 

 it was certainly the cradle of maritime trade and communications, 

 so it is natural that we turn to this region in our quest for knowl- 

 edge of ancient coastal cities and forgotten wrecks. 



Even though the Egyptians were the first to sail the high seas, 

 they were surpassed in skill and daring by the Minoans and Phoeni- 

 cians. Consequently the greatest concentration of early shipping 

 was on the east- west route along the south coast of Turkey, to this 

 day one of the most treacherous coasts in the world. This explains 

 the predominance of ancient wrecks in the eastern Mediterranean. 



The large number of sunken cities around the Mediterranean is 

 easy to explain if we examine the region geographically. The 

 Mediterranean is almost surrounded by mountains of the Alpine 

 system — which includes the Atlas, Pyrenees, Alps, Carpathians, 

 Caucasus, Himalayas, and the island chains of the East Indies. This 

 chain of mountains is fairly recent, geologically speaking, having 

 been uplifted in the Tertiary period. Throughout recorded history 

 the earth has been, and still is, adjusting itself to the residual stresses 

 of this upheaval; consequently there are continual earthquakes, 

 tremors, faults, and volcanic outbreaks over the whole area. Apart 

 from its southeast corner, the entire Mediterranean coast is bordered 

 by mountains of this system, and so the coastal cities of the ancient 

 civilizations were peculiarly liable to devastation and subsidence. 



While past geological conditions made the Mediterranean the 

 natural graveyard of many maritime remains, present conditions 

 are ideal for the recovery of these relics. The water is warm and 

 clear, the weather is good, and many countries in the region en- 

 courage the exploration of ancient sites. 



Because underwater sites are nearly always related to the local 

 archaeology and history of the land area near which they are found, 

 the only men who can assess the site accurately must be expert in 

 the area's local archaeology. For this reason, no professional archae- 

 ologist — who specializes in a limited geographical area and a certain 

 period — will take an interest in the subject of underwater archae- 

 ology as a whole. In a few places, however, there are senior archae- 

 ologists who do take an interest in the underwater work in their 

 area, such as Professor Fernand Benoit, in the south of France, and 

 Professor Nino Lamboglia, in northern Italy. But because it takes 

 many years to become an established archaeologist, most men who 

 have achieved this eminence have neither the time, nor the athletic 

 ability required to become divers as well. As a result, all the diving 

 has to be done by amateur archaeologists, or by people who are 

 not archaeologists at all. It is remarkable and regrettable that so 

 few young archaeologists today are learning to dive. 



When searching for an unknown archaeological site — either a 

 wreck or a submerged city — it is a waste of time, money, and 

 trained men to survey at random many miles of coast in the hopes of 

 stumbling onto something. Like a newspaper reporter in search of 

 a story, an underwater archaeologist needs a "tip." He may find his 

 tips deliberately by combing the files of libraries and museums, or 

 he may find one accidentally by talking to a local fisherman. Let us 

 see how this works, first with sunken wrecks, then with lost coastal 

 cities. 



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