|
In 1967 the University of Pennsylvania Museum excavation team under George F. Bass began work on a Roman wreck lying about 10-15 metres from the Byzantine wreck described above, at a depth of 36-42 metres. Like the Byzantine wreck this was also a merchant ship with a cargo of amphorae. The excavations were carried out in the years 1967-69, with a few days additional work in 1974. The latest underwater methods were employed in this excavation, which constituted the deepest underwater investigation yet to be carried out. Underwater stereo photography was used to draw up the plans, the resulting photographs being projected three dimensional in red and blue lights on a secreen, with an expert wearing special glasses tracing the lines on paper with a special instrument.
One of the great difficulties in underwater archaeology is the removal of sand from the area of the wreck. Here water-pumps were used, with fire hoses aimed directly at the sand heaps.
A yellowish glass vase from the Roman wreck
Another difficulty is the fact that underwater investigators are unable to communicate either with one another or with those at the surface. In this excavation an underwater telephone booth was constructed consisting of a plexiglass hemisphere into which air was continually pumped. The divers could go into this booth and remove their masks and air-tubes and talk to one another. At the same time they could communicate with the archaeologists at the surface by means of the telephone. This also provided a place of refuge which the diver could reach quite easily in an emergency instead of swimming some 40 metres to the surface.
Another interesting feature was the decompression chamber hung on chains and held at any desired level. The chamber had a continual supply of fresh air, and was furnished with chairs and lamps so that the divers could sit comfortably reading or making notes while carrying out decompression.
Television was employed to follow the work of the underwater investigators, so that the archaeologists on the surface were able to follow and direct operations at every stage. At the same time students could observe the work closely, which made their own task much easier when they ventured underwater themselves.
As the boat was lying on sand the wooden sections were in quite a good state of preservation, and enough was left of the stern to give a good idea of its original shape.
The ship had been carrying 1100 amphorae, but as their provenance is not known we are unable to say from what port the ship was Sailing. A number of copper coins were found, but these were so eroded that they were of no help in dating. The finds in general, however, point to the 4th century A.D., and this date is corroborated by four oil-lamps bearing the stamp of a workshop in Athens.
There were only a few earthenware plates, so it would seem that only wooden plates were used by the crew. The fact that no human bones were found indicates that the sailors were able to make their way to the island of Yassiada, while the fact that this island has a large rat population though the neighbouring islands have none seems to suggest that the rats also succeeded in reaching dry land. |
