Archaeology Beneath the Sea

by George Fletcher Bass

This book tells the incredible story of a half century of unlocking the mysteries of ancient shipwrecks. It is the story of of George F. Bass and his team, who are recognized as the pioneers of marine archaeology. ARCHAEOLOGY BENEATH THE SEA chronicles the enormous challenges they faced in developing techniques of underwater surveys and excavations, with remarkable results. Their most valuable excavations, in Turkey, are illustrated by breath-taking photos. ARCHAEOLOGY BENEATH THE SEA is a unique adventure not to be missed.GEORGE F. The "Father of Nautical Archaeology," George Bass has spent his career furthering the cause of underwater archaeology, excavating unique sites, including those at Uluburun and Cape Gelidonya , and founding the Institute of Nautical Archaeology, now affiliated with Texas A&M University, where he holds the title of Distinguished Professor Emeritus. He began diving in 1960.By 1967 his team was the first to locate an ancient wreck with side-scan sonar, a 280-foot-deep site inspected from their submersible Asherah. Between 1977 and 1979 he excavated at Serçe Limanı, Turkey, an 11th-century A.D. ship with three tons of broken glass; mended from a million shards over 20 years, it is the largest collection of medieval Islamic glass in existence. The National Geographic Society awarded him its La Gorce Gold Medal in 1979 and, in 1988, one of its fifteen Centennial Awards. In 1999 he received the JC Harrington Medal from The Society for Historical Archaeology. President George W. Bush presented him with the National Medal of Science in 2002. George Bass has written or edited ten books and over a hundred articles. He and his wife Ann,dividinge their time between College Station, Texas, and Bodrum, Turkey, built a house next to INA’s Research Center.This book tells the incredible story of a half century of unlocking the mysteries of ancient shipwrecks. It is the story of George F. Bass and his team, who are recognized as the pioneers of marine archaeology. ARCHAEOLOGY BENEATH THE SEA chronicles the enormous challenges they faced in developing techniques of underwater surveys and excavations, with remarkable results. Their most significant excavations, in Turkey, are illustrated by breath-taking photos. ARCHAEOLOGY BENEATH THE SEA is a unique adventure not to be missed.GEORGE F. Considered the "Father of Nautical Archaeology," George Bass has spent his career furthering the cause of underwater archaeology, excavating unique sites, including those at Uluburun and Cape Gelidonya, and founding the Institute of Nautical Archaeology, now affiliated with Texas A&M University, where he holds the title of Distinguished Professor Emeritus. He began diving in 1960. By 1967 his team was the first to locate an ancient wreck with side-scan sonar, a 280-foot-deep site inspected from their submersible Asherah. Between 1977 and 1979 he excavated at Serçe Limanı, Turkey, an 11th-century A.D. ship with three tons of broken glass; mended from a million shards over 20 years, it is the largest collection of medieval Islamic glass in existence. The National Geographic Society awarded him its La Gorce Gold Medal in 1979 and, in 1988, one of its fifteen Centennial Awards. In 1999 he received the JC Harrington Medal from The Society for Historical Archaeology. President George W. Bush presented him with the National Medal of Science in 2002. George Bass has written or edited ten books and over a hundred articles. He and his wife Ann, dividing their time between College Station, Texas, and Bodrum, Turkey, built a house next to INA’s Bodrum Research Center.

Genres: History, Science, Nonfiction, Archaeology, Maritime, Adventure

403 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 1975

About the author

George Fletcher Bass is recognized as the father of underwater archaeology.

Bass was the director of the first archaeological expedition to entirely excavate an ancient shipwreck: Cape Gelidonva (1960). Since directing his first excavation, he has excavated shipwrecks of the Bronze Age, Classical Age, and the Byzantine. Bass is professor emeritus at Texas A&M University, where he held the George T. and Gladys H. Abell Chair in Nautical Archaeology. He holds an M.A. in Near Eastern Archaeology from The Johns Hopkins University and a Ph.D. in Classical Archaeology from the University of Pennsylvania.

In 1973 Bass founded the Institute of Nautical Archaeology (INA). INA has conducted some of the most important excavations of the twentieth century, and its findings throw new light into areas as diverse as the beginning of the free enterprise system, the dating of Homer's Odyssey, chronologies of Egyptian dynasties and Helladic cultures, and the histories of technology, economics, music, art and religion.

Reviews

[Meaghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before I read this book I had no idea nautical archaeology (i.e. shipwreck diving) was so important and so interesting. In spite of the fact that I can only dog-paddle, this book made me want to become a wreck diver. Illustrated throughout with exquisite photographs, the essays detail how the archaeologists battled unpredictable currents, varying visibility, vicious eels, grabby octopuses and the risk of getting the bends in order to rescue historical treasures from their watery grave. (In one instance they found jars of still-liquid wine. They tasted it, but apparently 847 A.D. was not a good wine year.)

All aspects of the field are covered -- from the logistics of deep water diving to the technical details involved in conservation -- and there were wrecks represented in chronological order from all over the world, in both lakes and oceans, from ancient times to the mid-20th century.

I would recommend this to anyone interested in diving, archaeology or history. I had had no idea I would enjoy it as much as I did.

[Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

First hand stories from George Bass and several other members from the INA (Institute of Nautical Archaeology) from their experiences of their ground-breaking excavations around the world. Fascinating.

[Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're interested at all in maritime archaeology, it's a good idea to start with George Bass and Peter Throckmorton, two of the fathers of the profession.

This is Bass' account of his introduction to archaeology and his first few expeditions in the waters off Turkey.

My favorite part may have been the fact that Bass hustled to get his scuba training in a Philadelphia YMCA just before leaving for Turkey and still hadn't been beyond 10 feet deep when he arrived. He needed to lead an expedition over 100 ft. deep all summer.

That pretty much summed up the level of preparation of the entire project, but there's something to be said about getting talented people together and accomplishing something.

Bass has since gone on to create the American Institute of Nautical Archaeology along with the maritime archaeology program at Texas A&M.

This book was published in 1975 so there's a lot that follows, but it's a good place to start.

[Милен · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Някога, докато бил жив, платнените му дробове се изпълвали до пръсване с въздух, а сухожилията от усукани въжета се изпъвали и отпускали, докато той стенел под напора на тласкащата го напред сила. Но пясъкът, върху който легнал кротко на края, се оказал недостатъчен за погребален саван."

[Martha]

Never thought shipwreck archaeology could be so great! Amazing accounts and pictures. Makes anyone want to be Indiana Jones or Lara Croft!