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Archaeology in the Aegean Sea

Course Details, Dates and Costs for this intensive field course will be held in the summer of 2008:

4 Week Course – € 3,750        June 23rd to July 18th 2008

Week I:  June 23rd to June 27th

• Monday:Arrival in Athens
• Orientation, brief course overview
• Accommodation
• Tuesday: Museum visits
• National Archaeological Museum
• Museum of Cycladic Art
• Acropolis/Parthenon Museum
• Wednesday: Peloponnesus Visit
• Isthmia Museum
• Snorkelling over submerged ancient port of Kenchreai and roman villa
• Thursday: Ferry to Paros 07:25 - Arrival in Parikia 11:45
  • Course overview and highlights
  • Local orientation; basic information about social activities, walks, shops, maps and nautical charts of Paros, Naxos
  • Accommodation.
  • Begin diving course for persons not certified, checkout dive for those certified.
• Friday:
• Marine Archaeology in the Mediterranean: A review covering early ventures to contemporary underwater archaeological methods.
• Welcome dinner.

Week II : June 30th – July 4th

• Monday:
• Introduction to theoretical and practical basics of free-diving/snorkeling, scuba diving and Aegean marine life. Reference to ancient practice.
• Snorkeling session over ancient foreshore structures
• Scuba diving training in small cove used since ancient times. Short trip by boat, with a guided underwater tour as a familiarization/checkout dive.
• Scuba diving training in small cove used since ancient times. Short trip by boat, with a guided underwater tour as a familiarization/checkout dive.
• Physical and physiological limitations on archaeology underwater: pressure, temperature, density, refractive index, waves, winds, tides, decompression sickness, hypothermia, nitrogen narcosis, vision, communication restrictions, data recording.
• Tuesday: Sites and survey theory with practice on a sunken ship in shallow water
• Definition of a site; dating methods; fixed structures submerged by chance or purpose. Sea level changes significant in locating settlements and harbors.
• Introduction to theory and methods of large scale underwater search and survey: archive, map and chart study; seafloor search; side-scan sonar, GPS, plotter, sub-bottom profiler, proton magnetometer, echo-sounder, remotely operated cameras and vehicles.
• Site survey tools and methods: pre-disturbance survey; compass, sextant, theodolite, transects and grids; measuring tapes; rules; plumb-line; spirit level; depth gauge; metal detector, video and stills recording, photomosaics.
• Wednesday:
• Saliagos, a small island with one of the oldest known Aegean Neolithic settlements ~4,300 - 3,700 BC
• Lecture: The Neolithic sequence in the Cyclades ; the "Saliagos Culture" ; the Saliagos excavation and results ; the Lady of Saliagos; the significant "marine" element of the culture ; underwater sea-wall, bridge or fish weir.
• Field session: Walk on land and snorkel surrounding shallows; location of sea-walls and structures by use of charts, sonar and visual search.
• Thursday: Ancient shipbuilding and searching for wrecks
  • Shipbuilding methods; shell first; keel first; tenon and mortise; nails; ballast; anchors; warships and cargo ships.
  • Formation and interpretation of shipwreck sites; silting and scouring; length of immersion; timber deterioration; organic degradation; marine growth
  • Searching for wrecks: The quest for time capsules of history
• Friday:
• In situ search for shipwreck sites or jetsam; data recording and application of methods covered during dry sessions: site position; grid; underwater photography; sketching
• Alternative site: extension of coastal ancient cemetery in shallows, recently excavated.

Optional Weekend Day Trip by Boat to Delos

• Unique Archaeological Site on Uninhabited Island in the center of the Cyclades
• Free museum on site as well as the city that once housed 30,000 people all open for exploring
• By high speed boat, 3 hours on Delos, and 3 hours on Mykonos

Week III : July 7th – July11th

• Monday: The rock-channels mystery
• Basic survey of intriguing parallel channels carved out on rocky foreshores.
• Locality, dimensions, slope and direction. Photography, correlation to surrounding topography. Discussion of possible functions and sea-level changes.
• Human presence in the Cyclades
• Tuesday: Excavation & Conservation
• Excavation tools and techniques: Familiarisation with some hardware and methods: hand, airlift, water-dredge, water-jet and lifting methods. (dry and wet classes)
• Conservation and reconstruction of artefacts: Natural preservation; effects of: water movement; scouring; teredo; oxygen; sulphate reducing bacteria; marine growth; temperature; deterioration of organic and inorganic materials; electrolysis; corrosion; pitting.
• Treating waterlogged wood and artefacts of differing materials; x-rays and other non-destructive investigative methods; desalination; chemical cleaning; reduction; polyethylene glycol;
• The fight against entropy; cost; duration; conservation and storage responsibilities. (indoor class)
• Marine Archaeology Expeditions in the Aegean Sea: A personal account of expeditions in the Aegean Sea; a presentation with slides, charts and videos.
• Wednesday: Boat excursion to Antiparos and Despotiko
• Boat excursion to coastal sanctuary site under excavation on Despotiko Island, off the south coast of Antiparos. Presentation of the excavation project. Ancient coastline.
• Exploration of an ancient well, some tomb-like structures and unexplained parallel channels carved out in adjacent shallows by snorkeling.
• Thursday: Further survey theory and practice on sunken ship in shallow water.
• Survey tools and methods: aqua level; chain transects; primary survey framework; grids; datum; direct survey system (DSM); triangulation / trilateration; sketching; drawing; topside and underwater photography: lenses, film, lighting, photomosaic construction and video.
• Surveying in teams, integration of results, debriefing. Discussion and evaluation of observations and problems encountered during the survey
• Friday: Ancient port construction; field work on submerged structures
• Port and harbor construction; breakwaters; reinforced reefs; Piraeus; Delos; Lechaio, Kenchreai
• Site surveying and mapping of several channels and structures carved out on the coastline of a bay: compass, sextant, theodolite, transects, grids and photography.

Optional Weekend Day Trip by Boat to Santorini

• Explore the ancient city of Akrotiri with amazing frescoes, sanitation systems and three storey buildings
• Enjoy the view overlooking the caldera which erupted ~ 1600 B.C. and preserved the city by covering it in ash

Week IV : July 14th -July 18th

• Monday: Legal aspects of u/w archaeology in Greece
• The new law passed by the Greek Parliament on Oct.18th 2005, regarding diving; significance of amphorae; maritime transport and traditional boats
• The importance of amphora typology in dating; indestructible crates of antiquity; survival of neck/handle and bottom portions; stamps; typological dating for wrecks; maritime routes inference.
• Traditional boatyard visit: boatbuilding methods and length-to-beam ratio rooted in ancient practice.
• Tuesday: Wrecksite exploration
• Hazards to navigation: Investigation of rock outcrops and reefs surrounded by wreck-remains of different periods. Position fixing, site recording, underwater photography and wrecksite database creation.
• Wednesday: Open forum, tutorials and short exam if required based on curriculum covered.
• The Paros Museum: one of few displaying original Neolithic, Cycladic, Archaic and Classical sculptures.
• Thursday: Field excursion by boat.
• Pandieronissia, a group of small islands with Neolithic and Archaic findings.
• Discovery of the site; artefacts; reports to authorities; Neolithic and Archaic findings on the shoreline and in the shallows; eustatic sea level changes and tectonic movement
• The value of aerial photography in coastal and marine archaeology; pre-disturbance survey and photomosaic construction; discussion and evaluation of survey; comparison with Saliagos.
• Friday:
• Presentation of team projects
• Course review
• Tutorials
• Films on underwater archaeology
• Farewell meal

Optional Week V: July19th - July 25th

• (not included in course price but recommended and appreciated by past students)
• Saturday:
• Ferry to Bodrum, Turkey, via Kos
• Sunday:
• Visit Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology
• Monday:
• Visit and tour the Institute of Nautical Archaeology (INA) headquarters in Bodrum
• Tuesday:
• Free day for local exploration
• Visit the site of Ephesus
• See the ancient city of Hierapolis/Pammukale known for the healing powers found in the mineral water pools that cascade down the hillside
• Wednesday:
• Lectures/Presentations on a few of INA's current and past projects and excavations
• Thursday:
• Visit quarry site used for the building of the Mausoleum, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world
• Snorkel over coastal site used for loading materials and compare to Parian structures
• Friday:
• Organized dive around Bodrum area

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Notes:

• Students should arrive in Greece, at the latest, on the Monday the 23rd to meet in Athens. Accommodation is included starting from Monday the 23rd of June to Friday the 18th of July. If you choose to arrive at an earlier date and explore Athens, please contact us and we will provide you with the name of the hotel in Athens and useful information.
• Diving certification is recommended for the course. If you are not certified, we can offer a short PADI Scuba Diver course for an extra charge of 300 euros, which can be completed in three days before the beginning of the program on Paros. PADI Scuba Diver or equivalent is the minimum level needed to participate in the course. Open Water Diver takes 5 days and costs 500 Euros.

Required equipment:

• mask
• snorkel
• fins
• land camera
• three waterproof (to 15m depth) disposable cameras
• tennis shoes or sturdy walking sandals you do not mind getting wet.
• sun-protection
• bathing suit (Speedo/bikini type, not baggy, as you have to slip into wetsuit)
• windbreaker
• wide brim hat or cap
• sunglasses
  

Optional equipment:

• well fitting wetsuit
• depth gauge
• compass
• regulator
• buoyancy control device (BCD)
• laptop (wireless DSL available at accommodation and beachside base)
• underwater digital camera (the Olympus 770 does not need a housing)

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