Day 10 - The Black Sea Expedition
Sunday May 21, 2006Echo is resting, after two full days of being dragged around the Black Sea searching for whatever is below us. Hercules and Argus are searching around the areas that Echo showed something interesting. Now, so far, we’ve found modern stuff (when I say modern, I mean less than 100 years old). Of course this is still interesting, at least to me, but the scientists and archeologists on board ship were really looking forward to really old stuff, like a couple thousand years old. Well, it had to happen at some point.
One of the bumps Echo showed, Hercules and Argus discovered a mound of Amphorae (being the plural of Amphora). And judging by the style, the archeologists on board figure they are from the Byzantine era, around a thousand years ago. Considering how long people have been sailing around this vicinity, they are excited that they found one, but had hoped to find something much older. If you are new to ancient wreck discoveries, here’s a quick tip on what to look for: ancient trash.
When a wooden ship sinks, if the conditions are correct, there will be little critters and worms that will devour the wood overtime. If there are any cargo inside the ship (which most did), and as long as they aren’t organic, will still remain after thousands of years. Typically you will find Amphorae, which are tall, thin, pottery used to contain and carry such wares as wine, oil, etc. So, if you’re ever searching the bottom of the ocean, and happen to find a pile of pottery, in the shape of a boat, you’ve probably found the remains of an ancient wreck. Or, unless you’re in a restaurant in Istanbul, Turkey you might be able to buy an Amphora. The Ukrainian scientist, Dr. Voronov, was in Istanbul during a port stop, walked into a restaurant and noticed the ASHTRAY looked REALLY familiar, and bought. What a world we live in.
posted by DaveandBrian @ 12:10 AM
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