Dive & Dig

Maritime archaeologist, Lauren Tidbury speaks with Garry Momber, Director of the Maritime Archaeology Trust about what they have been discovering in the intertidal zone along the coast of Britain.  This area between high and low water is revealing amazing ancient structures. Learn how during recent work off the New Forest has revealed posts dating back 3000 years to the Bronze Age and others even older – 5,200 years dating to the Neolithic.  Learn how these are being interpreted by mapping their distribution to find out if these might be fish traps, causeways or other structures.  Not only do these sites provide evidence of past land connections to other parts of the world, they help determine early sea levels and are climate change indicators. 

Join Lucy Blue as she discusses the ancient Red Sea Port of Berenike in Egypt with Steve Sidebotham, site co-coordinator.  Excavations at this trading hub have been conducted since the mid-90s, discovering evidence that it was connected to extensive areas of the world and was operating for around 800 years since the 3rd century BCE.  According to Steve, greed drove the extensive trade here, but success required help from the gods, and recent work has unearthed Buddhas at the Temples of Isis and Serapis. Listen to learn why headless falcons have also been found and why more remains to be discovered under the sands of the amazing site.  #maritime #archaeology #heritage #egypt #buddhas #isis #serapis #excavations 

Welcome to Dive & Dig news, presented by Dr Lucy Blue, the podcast that takes you on an underwater journey deeper than you might have imagined ! In this episode, Lucy speaks to Mark Beattie-Edwards, CEO of the Nautical Archaeology Society, about the recent discovery of the Klein Hollandia off the coast of Sussex. How have Mark and his team been able to identify this shipwreck so accurately to solve a centuries old mystery? 

In this episode we are in Malta at the Under the Mediterranean conference, Lucy catches up with Julie Satchell and Anna Demetriou to talk about maritime archaeological archives and oral histories. They have such huge potential to tell us about the history of our discipline and to uncover previously untold stories about our maritime past. 

To celebrate International Women's Day we are excited to share this interview on Deep Water Archaeology with Barbara Davidde and Franca Cibecchini, using advanced technology they are exploring ever greater depths and discovering ancient shipwrecks in the Mediterranean. #IWD2023 #EmbraceEquity

In this episode we hear about three fascinating research projects on wrecks discovered under the Mediterranean. Presented as part of the Under the Med conference in Malta these projects include a Roman cargo ship, the remains of an ancient sea battle off the Egadi Islands, and a 16th century merchant ship off Croatia. The team delve in to the archaeology and the archives to tell the stories of our ancient past. 

In this episode we head to the Mediterranean and discover more about Inclusive Maritime Heritage in Southeast Sicily. We explore the ancient fishing traditions of the Marzamemi, discuss shipwrecks, connectivity, and the innovative, reflexive ways the team are working with local communities to tell the story of their maritime past.  #maritimeheritage #sicily #mediterranean #inclusive #histories #marzamemi #tunafishing #ethnography #archaeology

In this episode, we look back to Honor Frost's first dive in a well in Wimbledon 70 years ago this week, a pivotal moment for the field of maritime archaeology. We also speak with Claire Calcagno about her discovery of an unknown and unfinished book in Honor's archive, the Second Life of a Phoenix, all about her work on the 3rd Century BC Punic Shipwreck off Sicily. 

We head back 8,000 years this week! Agios Petros is the earliest submerged site in the Aegean. This Neolithic site is 8000 years old and reveals astonishing insights into how the farmers, fishermen and seafarers that lived there, were part of an expansive Neolithic network connected by sailing ships – far more sophisticated than ever imagined. The team even found remains of tuna bones and specialized fishing equipment, indicating that they were capable of deep sea fishing. Domesticated animal remains also suggest that these Neolithic farmers were transporting cows and other livestock by boat! Bettany talks to the site director about the discoveries and Lucy delves into ancient seafaring to uncover evidence of how people were crossing the Aegean thousands of years ago. We also learn about obsidian, a rare volcanic glass which gives insights into ancient trade. 

In this episode, Bettany heads to Turkey. The site of Yenikapi, in Istanbul, is home to one of the largest archaeological digs in the world, covering over 58,000 square metres, discovered during development work. Most of the remains relate to the artificial Theodosian Harbour from the Byzantine period including over 37 remarkably well-preserved shipwrecks, the largest group of Byzantine shipwrecks ever found. The site is a treasure trove of finds, from preserved camel skeletons to a container of cherries. Bettany heads to the conservation lab to see some of these remarkable finds first-hand, and Lucy speaks to one of the archaeologists working on the shipwreck remains.