Travel with Professor Lucy Blue to the village of Imbotero, Guyana to meet Dr Robert (Bob) Holtzman an expert in traditional boatbuilding to learn about the Warrau dugout canoe. Twice daily tides in the tropical mangrove swamp mean canoes are essential for survival of the indigenous Warrau people. Not only are they used for transportation, but also for foraging in the forest for land crabs, fishing and visiting neighbours. Over two field seasons Bob paddled around the villages in a canoe observing how the Warrau connect to their environment and fashion their canoes. Learn how these canoes - that can be up to 10 meters long, are hollowed out of a single tree trunk using chainsaws and adzes by skilled artisans. And, why a consistent thickness achieved by eye, feel and even sound is crucial to the final stages when it is placed over a fire to expand the wood allowing it to be spread apart without cracking, capturing the boat making techniques of this art before they are lost in the tide of modernisation.
Dive and Dig is available on all major podcast platforms, or by following this link: https://ow.ly/F1zV50TvgHx
To learn more about Dr Bob Holtzman and his fascinating work please visit his blog: https://indigenousboats.blogspot.com
Professor Lucy Blue delves into the wreck of The London, a 17th century warship, with diver and licensee Steve Ellis. The ship exploded and sank in the Thames Estuary in 1665 and was rediscovered in 2005 when a ports authority survey was being conducted. Since 2010, Steve has been directing the survey of the vessel and recovering artefacts with permission from Historic England. A Second Rate vessel in the English Navy, The London was carrying 76 guns and a mix of over 300 crew and family readying to join a fleet preparing to fight in the Second Anglo-Dutch War, when tragedy struck. This significant archaeological site offers insights into 17th-century naval warfare, however despite it being a protected wreck of great historic value, there has been little funding or support from government sources. Over 1200 finds have been recovered and Steve will reveal his most recent discovery that is truly remarkable.
Dive and Dig is available on all major podcast platforms or by following this link: https://audioboom.com/posts/8559360-a-race-against-the-thames-saving-the-london-shipwreck
A special thanks to Mark Beattie-Edwards and the Save the London campaign for their wonderful support in helping to continue to dive this site.
Find out more about the The London Shipwreck Project here.
To donate, please visit the project website: https://thelondonshipwreckproject.com/save-the-london/
#shipwreck #maritime #archaeology #warship #navy #LondonShipwreck #ThamesEstuary #UnderwaterHeritage #MaritimeHistory #NauticalArchaeology #SaveTheLondon
Professor Lucy Blue speaks with associate Professor in Egyptology, Dr Claire Somaglino from the Sorbonne, about two decades of excavation at the site of Ayn Soukhna at the northern end of the Red Sea in the Gulf of Suez. During Pharaonic times, this important site was occupied over an extensive period, as not only was it close to the important centre of Memphis, but there was a spring, an oasis with trees and a sheltered anchorage, making it a perfect harbour. Rock inscriptions led to its discovery and seasons of excavation have revealed it was a hive of activity with workshops, dwellings, redox furnaces for processing ore and galleries housing some of the oldest seagoing vessels in the world. Discover how the boats were used to bring food to the mining areas of the South Sinai and returned with copper ore required for making tools and precious turquoise, which was fashioned into jewellery prized by the Pharaohs.
Ayn Soukhna is an Egyptian-French excavation (dir. C. Somaglino, M. El-Weshahi), supported by : IFAO, CNRS, Sorbonne University, Suez Canal University, and the Honor Frost Foundation.
This full episode of Dive and Dig is available on all major podcast platforms or by following this link: https://audioboom.com/posts/8539084-ayn-soukhna-piecing-together-the-puzzle
Recorded live on the island of Cyprus, Professor Lucy Blue speaks to Constantinos Nicolaou a leading expert in Cypriot traditional boat building. Costantinos recently headed up a training workshop hosted by the Honor Frost Foundation’s Cyprus Regional Development Project, that brought together experts from the eastern Mediterranean region working on traditional boat recording. Costantinos directs a project that documents the remaining working boats in Cyprus and maps out different topologies and the influences that have shaped Cypriot vernacular boat building over time. Hear how by looking at this development you learn about the history of the island, including the islands independence from British colonial rule and the Turkish invasion, and how these events changed boat shape construction. Is there a boat construction history on the island? What is the legacy of boat building in Cyprus? Costantinos also reveals how his interviews with living boat builders, has further exposed their contribution to the history of vernacular boat building on the island.
Dive & Dig is available on all major podcast platforms or at this link: https://ow.ly/6x1g50SiRUU
You an learn more about the Cyprus Regional Development Project and this boat recording workshop on our website: https://honorfrostfoundation.org/2024/06/14/crdp-recording-traditional-boats-workshop-june-2024/
In this episode, originally released in November 2023, Professor Lucy Blue speaks to Professor Dave Parham from Bournemouth University Maritime Archaeology, who has been diving on the remains of a 1944 Valentine Tank assemblage in Poole Bay. Made buoyant by adding a canvas skirt, they proved essential in getting armoured support onto the beach during the historic D-Day landings. Scheduled under the Ancient Monuments Act means they are protected by law. On a recent inspection, the turret on one tank was found to have been pulled off. There were no apparent clues as to the culprit, so the police were called in to help solve this crime. Who did it? How can such sites be policed? Can you help solve this crime? Learn more about the importance of these tanks that sank in bad weather during Exercise Smash in the run-up to this historic manoeuvre.
Professor Lucy Blue speaks to Professor Giulia Boetto from the French National Centre for Scientific Research about what is possibly the oldest fully hand-sewn boat to be discovered in the Mediterranean. First spotted by fisherman in Zambratija Bay off a beach in northern Croatia, closer examination by archaeologists revealed small holes in the planks. Could this be a boat sewn together rather than built by the more common mortise and tendon method? Hear how French and Croatian researchers set about to date the boat, initially using carbon-14 dating, revealing it is likely to date from around the end of the Bronze Age to the early Iron Age. It has since been raised and is now in Croatia, but is heading to conservation labs in Grenoble, France where it will undergo treatments before it returns to Croatia to be displayed in the Archaeological Museum of Istria, Pula. Listen to the full podcast on any major platform or follow this link: https://ow.ly/rtP450RyfKq
Prof. Boetto would like to thank the following people for work on the project:
Christian Petretich, Ida Koncani Uhač, Marko Uhač, the team of the Archaeological Museum of Istria, in particular the restorers Andrea Sardoz and Monika Petrović, Pierre Poveda, Vincent Dumas, Loïc Damelet, Philippe Soubias, Philippe Groscaux, Kato Nees, Alba Ferreira Domìnguez, and Henri Bernard-Maugiron.
The main supporters: Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia, Region of Istria, Archaeological Museum of Istria, Pula (special thanks to - Darko Komšo, director of the museum), Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, France, National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), France, Mediterranean Archaeology Institute - ARKAIA, Aix-Marseille University.
Video credit: Artimi, Video Produkcija, Pula
Professor Lucy Blue speaks to Dr Mohamed Mustapha Abd El-Maguid, from the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities وزارة السياحة والآثار and الإدارة المركزية للآثار الغارقة Department of underwater antiquities in Egypt. An expert in ancient ship construction, he has installed a reconstruction of a late Roman-early Byzantine ship in the recently re-opened Graeco-Roman Museum المتحف اليوناني الروماني in Alexandria, Egypt. The pearl of the Mediterranean, Alexandria was the centre of trade and commerce. To illustrate the city’s importance in trade during ancient times, Mohamed was asked to use amphora from the museum store dating from the Roman period and place them in a reconstructed section of the cargo hold of a ship. Hear how together with the craftsmen at the shipyard he has beautifully reconstructed a boat based on the Saint Gervais 3 wreck of a similar period found in southern France. Allowing students to see the ship take shape using the shell-first method of construction with mortise-and-tenon joints, gave them a chance to truly appreciate the craftsmanship and creativity of a Roman ship builder.
Like, Listen, and Learn on any major podcast platform or by following this link: https://ow.ly/VnkN50QMjG8
#AncientShipConstruction #GraecoRomanMuseum #AlexandriaEgypt #RomanTrade #MaritimeHistory #HistoricalCraftsmanship #PodcastInterview #maritimeheritage #archaeology #egyptology #maritime
Professor Lucy Blue speaks to Dr Crystal el Safadi who has recently recovered from a series of unfortunate events sailing the Kyrenia- Liberty. It is the third replica reconstruction of the 4th-century BC Greek merchant ship discovered in 1965 off the coast of northern Cyprus. Built in 2002, it has been on several voyages, however this one in September last year proved to be challenging. As part of the Eastern Mediterranean Experimental Sailing project, Crystal and her team set sail from Limassol only to encounter unexpected weather conditions. Find out what happened and what they have learned from the experience. Like, Listen, and Learn on any major platform of by following this link: https://ow.ly/yyyb50QyLJ7
To learn more about the Kyrenia-Liberty and the on-going repair work, please visit the dedicated Kerynia-Liberty Ship page.
#KyreniaLiberty #GreekMerchantShip #ExperimentalSailing #MaritimeHistory #EasternMediterranean #HistoricalVoyage #MaritimeArchaeology #Archaeology
Professor Lucy Blue speaks to Chris Dobbs, who has worked at The Mary Rose for over 40 years, initially as an Archaeological Supervisor excavating King Henry VIII’s flagship off Portsmouth and in the last few decades as Head of Interpretation at the Mary Rose Museum. Believing that you need to tell the stories behind the objects and the people who used them, he uses smells and sounds to help bring the Tudor artefacts alive and bring maritime archaeology to the larger public. He was instrumental in developing the new immersive 4D cinema experience, enabling visitors to join divers and discover ship via archive footage.
Images courtesy of The Mary Rose
Professor Lucy Blue speaks to Professor Dave Parham from Bournemouth University Maritime Archaeology, who has been diving on the remains of a 1944 Valentine Tank assemblage in Poole Bay. Made buoyant by adding a canvas skirt, they proved essential in getting armoured support onto the beach during the historic D-Day landings. Scheduled under the Ancient Monuments Act means they are protected by law. On a recent inspection, the turret on one tank was found to have been pulled off. There were no apparent clues as to the culprit, so the police were called in to help solve this crime. Who did it? How can such sites be policed? Can you help solve this crime? Learn more about the importance of these tanks that sank in bad weather during Exercise Smash in the run-up to this historic manoeuvre. Like, Listen, and Learn by following this link! https://audioboom.com/posts/8404817-unmoored-heritage-crime-on-d-day-tanks-in-poole-bay-uk
The Tank Museum Imperial War Museum London Imperial War Museum Duxford
Professor Lucy Blue speaks to Dr Lisa Briggs and Dr Peter Campbell from Cranfield University, who have been searching the deep waters of the Straits of Sicily using micro-AUVs - autonomous underwater vehicles. Deployment of these small, agile vehicles has enabled the team to map large areas of this busy maritime highway of the Mediterranean.
The team aims to locate historic remains and ancient shipwrecks. They have consulted local fisherman for potential targets as they trawl the seabed and often snag remains in their nets, including statues.
These mini autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) can be deployed in multiples, thus covering large areas of the seabed. They are relatively cheap to purchase and easier to use and programme than larger AUVs. Fitted with cameras, might they become a principal tool for maritime archaeology and other disciplines, such as marine biology? Learn how these vehicles have democratised surveys previously limited to researchers with much larger budgets. Likes, listen, and learn on our newest episode! Available on all major podcast platforms: https://ow.ly/Qomi50Q32uJ
Join Professor Lucy Blue as she discovers why the loch waters in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland are peppered with hundreds of artificial islets known as crannogs. Here, she speaks to a director of Islands of Stone project team, Professor Fraser Sturt from the University of Southampton who has been investigating these small islands built of stones and layers of timbers. Originally thought to be settlements dating to the Late Bronze-Age and medieval periods, their work reveals they are a succession of accumulated settlements dating back 6000 years to Neolithic Britain. Were they constructed as defences, burial grounds or for ceremonial purposes? Among the well-preserved pottery found in the surrounding waters are pots from the Orkney Islands, demonstrating the connectivity between the island chains. Scientific analysis of pot residues reveals cereals and dairy products cooked up to produce a kind of porridge!
Like, listen, and learn on all major podcast platforms or by following this link: https://ow.ly/yRfu50PVvBr
Professor Lucy Blue is captivated by the Nabataeans – the ancient Arab traders best known for their rock-cut capital of Petra. Here, she speaks to Michele Stefanile from the University of Naples Federico II about two recently located submerged Nebataean temples in the Bay of Naples. Prodigious traders, the Nebataeans traded in luxury goods from the Arabian Peninsula, such as frankincense and shipped grain and bitumen from Egypt via Alexandria to Rome through the ancient harbour of Puteoli (now known as Pozzuoli). Hear how these discoveries reveal the role of the Nabataeans at this Republican period port and why these wealthy merchants built temples with Italian marble-clad altars inscribed with Latin dedications to their Gods. Like, Listen, and Learn on any major platform or by following this link: https://ow.ly/5cHr50POg8K
You can read more about the ongoing work at Pozzuoli at this project link: https://ow.ly/jE6550POgkU
Professor Lucy Blue speaks with several team members working at the site of Dreamer’s Bay on the southern tip of the Akrotiri Peninsula in Cyprus. At this ancient port complex, discoveries range from an ancient mole – or massive stone breakwater, a wreck with a cargo of tiles, and stone anchors, among other remains possibly dating to the Roman or Byzantine periods. The site poses many questions, including why the breakwater is where it is and what was the relative sea level would have been during the site formation. Can these and other questions be answered by comparing it to other ancient harbours in Cyprus?
Like, listen, and learn on any major platform or by clicking this link! https://ow.ly/eQL950PEIJ6
Photos courtesy of Explorers Photography (https://ow.ly/cBoc50PEIJ4)
In this episode, Professor Lucy Blue chats with maritime archaeologist, Dr Daniel Pascoe about discovering the 17th century 70-gun warship, the HMS Edgar. Dan explains how a combination of boundless determination, in-depth archival research and geophysical investigations helped identify mounds that appeared to be the ship's remains blown apart by sloppy gunpowder storage. By probing these mounds and digging test pits, Dan and his team uncover artefacts and human remains that identified them as remains from the Edgar and the crew who went down with it.
Listen, like, and learn on any major podcast platform by following this link: https://ow.ly/JPxh50Pw2I1
