Do fundo do mar... Sea bottom
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Ancient sea travellers had heads in the clouds
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Telegraph
By Nick Squires
October 31, 2007
A stone tool found on a remote Pacific island has provided evidence that early Polynesians travelled 2,500 miles by canoe using only the stars, clouds and seabirds as navigational aids.
Scientists have found that the stone adze, found on a coral atoll in what is now French Polynesia, was quarried from volcanic rock in Hawaii, on the other side of the Pacific Ocean.
It was transported about 1,000 years ago by Polynesian voyagers in wooden canoes, either as a chunk of uncut rock used for ballast, or as a gift or memento.
Its Hawaiian provenance confirms what Pacific peoples have long been told through folklore - that their ancestors were among the most skilled navigators in history.
Archaeologists and historians have likened their ability to find new islands in the vastness of the Pacific as akin to sending a rocket into space and hoping it will hit a planet.
Dr Marshall Weisler, of the University of Queensland, said the journey between Hawaii and Tahiti "now stands as the longest uninterrupted maritime voyage in human prehistory".
He said it was "mind-boggling" how Polynesian settlers found their way from one speck of land to another and back again, colonising the last uninhabited parts of the planet.
They are believed to have used signs such as tides, the presence of driftwood and the flight of seabirds, which return to roost on land at night.
They also closely observed the underside of clouds, which reflect whatever lies beneath them - a darker tinge indicates the presence of land.
Proving that such a feat was possible, in 1976 a reconstructed ocean-going canoe, the Hokule'a, successfully sailed from Hawaii to Tahiti.
The adze was found by an archeologist in the 1930s on a coral island in the Tuamotu archipelago in French Polynesia, but has only recently been subjected to chemical testing.
It started its journey on Kaho'olawe island in Hawaii. "Before beginning their voyage south from Hawaii, the ancient voyagers most likely stopped at the westernmost tip of the island, traditionally named Lae o Kealaikahiki, which literally means 'the cape or headland on the way to Tahiti'," Dr Weisler said.
"Here they apparently collected rocks, like that from which the adze was subsequently made, to take on their voyage, either as ballast or as a gift."
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Telegraph
By Nick Squires
October 31, 2007
A stone tool found on a remote Pacific island has provided evidence that early Polynesians travelled 2,500 miles by canoe using only the stars, clouds and seabirds as navigational aids.
Scientists have found that the stone adze, found on a coral atoll in what is now French Polynesia, was quarried from volcanic rock in Hawaii, on the other side of the Pacific Ocean.
It was transported about 1,000 years ago by Polynesian voyagers in wooden canoes, either as a chunk of uncut rock used for ballast, or as a gift or memento.
Its Hawaiian provenance confirms what Pacific peoples have long been told through folklore - that their ancestors were among the most skilled navigators in history.
Archaeologists and historians have likened their ability to find new islands in the vastness of the Pacific as akin to sending a rocket into space and hoping it will hit a planet.
Dr Marshall Weisler, of the University of Queensland, said the journey between Hawaii and Tahiti "now stands as the longest uninterrupted maritime voyage in human prehistory".
He said it was "mind-boggling" how Polynesian settlers found their way from one speck of land to another and back again, colonising the last uninhabited parts of the planet.
They are believed to have used signs such as tides, the presence of driftwood and the flight of seabirds, which return to roost on land at night.
They also closely observed the underside of clouds, which reflect whatever lies beneath them - a darker tinge indicates the presence of land.
Proving that such a feat was possible, in 1976 a reconstructed ocean-going canoe, the Hokule'a, successfully sailed from Hawaii to Tahiti.
The adze was found by an archeologist in the 1930s on a coral island in the Tuamotu archipelago in French Polynesia, but has only recently been subjected to chemical testing.
It started its journey on Kaho'olawe island in Hawaii. "Before beginning their voyage south from Hawaii, the ancient voyagers most likely stopped at the westernmost tip of the island, traditionally named Lae o Kealaikahiki, which literally means 'the cape or headland on the way to Tahiti'," Dr Weisler said.
"Here they apparently collected rocks, like that from which the adze was subsequently made, to take on their voyage, either as ballast or as a gift."
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http://www.dofundodomar.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
US court dispute over Spanish shipwreck treasure far from over
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PR-inside.com
October 30, 2007
TAMPA, Florida - The legal fight between Florida deep-sea explorers and the Spanish government over an estimated $500 million (¤347 million) in sunken treasure could drag on for another year or more, court documents filed Tuesday said.
PR-inside.com
October 30, 2007
TAMPA, Florida - The legal fight between Florida deep-sea explorers and the Spanish government over an estimated $500 million (¤347 million) in sunken treasure could drag on for another year or more, court documents filed Tuesday said.
Odyssey Marine Exploration and attorneys for the Spanish government agree on little beyond their ability to be ready for a trial by at least Oct. 1, 2008, according to a case management report filed in federal court.
Spain has filed claims to the vast treasure of colonial-era silver coins and other artifacts that Tampa-based Odyssey salvaged from an undisclosed shipwreck in the Atlantic Ocean earlier this year.
Spain contends it is entitled to the treasure if it or the ship belonged to Spain, or if it was removed from that nation's territorial waters. Odyssey, citing security concerns, has disclosed only that the wreck was situated outside the territorial waters of any country.
Lawyers for Spain have asked a judge to order Odyssey to disclose the location and identity of the shipwreck.
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Friday, October 26, 2007
Divers find strong evidence of Civil War shipwreck near Savannah
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AccessNorthGa.com
October 26, 2007
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AccessNorthGa.com
October 26, 2007
Captured by Confederate sailors in a bloody midnight sneak attack in 1864, the gunboat Water Witch became one of the few Civil War ships to sail under the flags of both the Confederate and Union navies.
Archaeologists say they found strong evidence Thursday they've located the Water Witch's wreckage buried under more than 10 feet of mud in the Vernon River south of Savannah.
Divers pushed a 20-foot metal rod through the river mud Thursday and tapped solid wood and metal underneath. It was the same location where an 1865 survey map showed Confederate sailors burned the ship to prevent Union Gen. William T. Sherman's army from recapturing it.
"In all likelihood, it is the Water Witch," said Gordon Watts, an underwater archaeologist hired by the state of Georgia. "We'd have to absolutely dig something up to say for sure."
If Watts is correct, the Water Witch would be just the third Civil War shipwreck _ along with the ironclad CSS Georgia and the blockade runner CSS Nashville _ to be found out of dozens known to have been sunk in Georgia waters, said Dave Crass, Georgia's state archaeologist.
"There are lots more that are out there and we know where the are, but it's cost prohibitive" to go after them, Crass said.
Archaeologists got lucky with the Water Witch. The state Department of Transportation had to survey a part of the Vernon River it plans to bridge with a parkway extension. The agency agreed to go ahead and check a spot just two miles away where the Water Witch was believed to have burned.
Using a magnetometer, a giant metal detector, surveyors detected large iron objects scattered beneath the river's surface in an area 200 feet long. An 1865 map marked the same spot as the Water Witch's grave.
Crass said the state will consult with the federal government, which technically owns the wreckage, to see if they support funding an expedition to verify whether the diver found the Water Witch.
The 160-foot, wooden-hulled Water Witch was built by the U.S. Navy in 1851 as a sort of hybrid of old and new seafaring technologies. Though outfitted with a steam engine and side-mounted paddle wheels, the ship also had 90-foot masts for sailing.
During the Civil War, the Water Witch patrolled blockades off the coasts of Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, but mostly in the waters of Ossabaw Sound between Ossabaw Island and the Georgia mainland 15 miles south of Savannah.
That's where Confederate Navy Lt. Thomas Pelot got assigned to lead a raid to capture the ship in the early morning darkness on June 3, 1864.
Pelot led a group of about 120 men who used small boats to slip alongside the Water Witch undetected. Their numbers gave them a healthy advantage over the ship's crew of 65 sailors.
Taken by surprise, the Union sailors still put up a fight, engaging the Confederates in close quarters combat with sabers and revolvers. Luther Billings, the assistant paymaster aboard the Water Witch, later estimated 40 men were killed or wounded in the raid.
The dead included Pelot, who led the assault, and Dallas Moses, a slave who was also paid a $100 monthly salary as a Confederate river pilot.
Moses piloted the lead boat in the sneak attack, and was supposed to steer the captured Water Witch back to Savannah _ under the flag of the Confederate Navy.
Though numerous ships were captured by both sides in the Civil War, few actually served on both sides during the war, said Bruce Smith, executive director of the National Civil War Naval Museum in Columbus.
"It was fairly uncommon," Smith said. "It did happen a number of times, less than a handful."
Because Moses was killed before he could pilot the captured Water Witch, the ship never made it back to Savannah. Confederate sailors dared not take their prize back to sea, where Union battleships watched for it, and the inland waterways to the city were too shallow.
The Water Witch remained in the waters near Ossabaw Sound for about six months until December, when Sherman's Union troops closed in on Savannah. Fearing the Union would reclaim the ship, Confederate sailors burned it in the water.
Smith said written orders from the period show that sailors stripped the Water Witch of its guns, ammunition and most of its supplies before burning it. But he said any artifacts that could be recovered would be valuable.
"If it was just doorknobs, that would be fantastic as far as I'm concerned, if it was the real deal," Smith said.
Archaeologists say they found strong evidence Thursday they've located the Water Witch's wreckage buried under more than 10 feet of mud in the Vernon River south of Savannah.
Divers pushed a 20-foot metal rod through the river mud Thursday and tapped solid wood and metal underneath. It was the same location where an 1865 survey map showed Confederate sailors burned the ship to prevent Union Gen. William T. Sherman's army from recapturing it.
"In all likelihood, it is the Water Witch," said Gordon Watts, an underwater archaeologist hired by the state of Georgia. "We'd have to absolutely dig something up to say for sure."
If Watts is correct, the Water Witch would be just the third Civil War shipwreck _ along with the ironclad CSS Georgia and the blockade runner CSS Nashville _ to be found out of dozens known to have been sunk in Georgia waters, said Dave Crass, Georgia's state archaeologist.
"There are lots more that are out there and we know where the are, but it's cost prohibitive" to go after them, Crass said.
Archaeologists got lucky with the Water Witch. The state Department of Transportation had to survey a part of the Vernon River it plans to bridge with a parkway extension. The agency agreed to go ahead and check a spot just two miles away where the Water Witch was believed to have burned.
Using a magnetometer, a giant metal detector, surveyors detected large iron objects scattered beneath the river's surface in an area 200 feet long. An 1865 map marked the same spot as the Water Witch's grave.
Crass said the state will consult with the federal government, which technically owns the wreckage, to see if they support funding an expedition to verify whether the diver found the Water Witch.
The 160-foot, wooden-hulled Water Witch was built by the U.S. Navy in 1851 as a sort of hybrid of old and new seafaring technologies. Though outfitted with a steam engine and side-mounted paddle wheels, the ship also had 90-foot masts for sailing.
During the Civil War, the Water Witch patrolled blockades off the coasts of Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, but mostly in the waters of Ossabaw Sound between Ossabaw Island and the Georgia mainland 15 miles south of Savannah.
That's where Confederate Navy Lt. Thomas Pelot got assigned to lead a raid to capture the ship in the early morning darkness on June 3, 1864.
Pelot led a group of about 120 men who used small boats to slip alongside the Water Witch undetected. Their numbers gave them a healthy advantage over the ship's crew of 65 sailors.
Taken by surprise, the Union sailors still put up a fight, engaging the Confederates in close quarters combat with sabers and revolvers. Luther Billings, the assistant paymaster aboard the Water Witch, later estimated 40 men were killed or wounded in the raid.
The dead included Pelot, who led the assault, and Dallas Moses, a slave who was also paid a $100 monthly salary as a Confederate river pilot.
Moses piloted the lead boat in the sneak attack, and was supposed to steer the captured Water Witch back to Savannah _ under the flag of the Confederate Navy.
Though numerous ships were captured by both sides in the Civil War, few actually served on both sides during the war, said Bruce Smith, executive director of the National Civil War Naval Museum in Columbus.
"It was fairly uncommon," Smith said. "It did happen a number of times, less than a handful."
Because Moses was killed before he could pilot the captured Water Witch, the ship never made it back to Savannah. Confederate sailors dared not take their prize back to sea, where Union battleships watched for it, and the inland waterways to the city were too shallow.
The Water Witch remained in the waters near Ossabaw Sound for about six months until December, when Sherman's Union troops closed in on Savannah. Fearing the Union would reclaim the ship, Confederate sailors burned it in the water.
Smith said written orders from the period show that sailors stripped the Water Witch of its guns, ammunition and most of its supplies before burning it. But he said any artifacts that could be recovered would be valuable.
"If it was just doorknobs, that would be fantastic as far as I'm concerned, if it was the real deal," Smith said.
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www.dofundodomar.blogspot.com
Friday, October 19, 2007
Museum plans lecture on marine archaeology
October 19, 2007
GALVESTON — Andrew Hall, a marine archaeological steward with the Texas Historical Commission, will discuss the maritime development of the Texas Coast at a lecture at the Galveston County Historical Museum on Saturday.
Hall also will discuss efforts by the state to preserve and record archaeological sites and will talk about a project to record a wreck in Florida that is believed to be the steamship Tonawanda, which supplied Union ships stationed off Galveston during the Civil War.
The lecture is in honor of Texas Archaeology Month.
Hall has served as a volunteer with the Texas Historical Commission since 2001. He also is the Web site designer and illustrator for the PAST Foundation, a nonprofit educational foundation that promotes partnerships between anthropologists and educators to bring their work to a wider audience.
Hall has contributed as Web site developer or historical researcher on several nautical archaeology projects, including the 1686 wreck of the French ship La Belle (1995-97), the Civil War blockade runner Denbigh (1997-2003), the Red River Steamboat Project (2001), the U-166 (2003), the Deep Gulf Shipwrecks Project and the USS Arizona Preservation Project (both 2004). More recently, he has participated in fieldwork on the 1875 wreck of the City of Waco at Galveston, as well as on the Tonawanda project.
A former member of the Galveston County Historical Commission and president of the Southwest Underwater Archaeological Society, Hall has written on maritime history and underwater archaeology and has contributed illustrations to a number of works in the field.
The Galveston County Historical Museum is a joint project of Galveston Historical Foundation and the Galveston County Commissioners Court.
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At A Glance
WHAT: Lecture on marine archaeology
WHEN: 2 p.m. Saturday
WHERE: Galveston County Historical Museum, 2219 Market St., Galveston.
INFORMATION: Museum director Jodi Wright-Gidley, 409-766-2340.
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www.dofundodomar.blogspot.com
GALVESTON — Andrew Hall, a marine archaeological steward with the Texas Historical Commission, will discuss the maritime development of the Texas Coast at a lecture at the Galveston County Historical Museum on Saturday.
Hall also will discuss efforts by the state to preserve and record archaeological sites and will talk about a project to record a wreck in Florida that is believed to be the steamship Tonawanda, which supplied Union ships stationed off Galveston during the Civil War.
The lecture is in honor of Texas Archaeology Month.
Hall has served as a volunteer with the Texas Historical Commission since 2001. He also is the Web site designer and illustrator for the PAST Foundation, a nonprofit educational foundation that promotes partnerships between anthropologists and educators to bring their work to a wider audience.
Hall has contributed as Web site developer or historical researcher on several nautical archaeology projects, including the 1686 wreck of the French ship La Belle (1995-97), the Civil War blockade runner Denbigh (1997-2003), the Red River Steamboat Project (2001), the U-166 (2003), the Deep Gulf Shipwrecks Project and the USS Arizona Preservation Project (both 2004). More recently, he has participated in fieldwork on the 1875 wreck of the City of Waco at Galveston, as well as on the Tonawanda project.
A former member of the Galveston County Historical Commission and president of the Southwest Underwater Archaeological Society, Hall has written on maritime history and underwater archaeology and has contributed illustrations to a number of works in the field.
The Galveston County Historical Museum is a joint project of Galveston Historical Foundation and the Galveston County Commissioners Court.
+++
At A Glance
WHAT: Lecture on marine archaeology
WHEN: 2 p.m. Saturday
WHERE: Galveston County Historical Museum, 2219 Market St., Galveston.
INFORMATION: Museum director Jodi Wright-Gidley, 409-766-2340.
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www.dofundodomar.blogspot.com
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Shipwreck weekend coming up
October 18, 2007
The Graveyard of the Pacific Shipwreck weekend will be held Oct. 25 through 27 at several parks near the mouth of the Columbia River.
Activities include a sea shanty camp, maritime programs, maritime music, ranger talks and exhibits.
The Columbia River bar area earned the name "Graveyard of the Pacific" after more than 2,000 vessels met their end where the river meets the Pacific Ocean.
Cape Disappointment State Park
Daily tours of the North Head Lighthouse, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Tours cost $2.50 per adult, free ages 7 to 17.
Rangers will give maritime-related talks at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center at 1 p.m. Oct. 26 and 27. The center is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Admission is $5 adults, $2.50 ages 7 to 17 and free for ages 6 and under.
"The River of Lost Ships," an exhibit featuring shipwreck artifacts, historic images and maps, will be displayed at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center through December.
Fort Columbia State Park
Sea Shanty Camp of the Columbia, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 27. Students will learn about the history and performance of maritime music. Participants must pre-register by Oct. 25 by calling (360) 642-3029.
Fort Stevens State Park
Free ranger-lead talks at the Peter Iredale shipwreck, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Oct. 25.
Columbia River Maritime Museum, Astoria
In "Mapping the West: 18th and 19th Century Cartography," Robert Hamm will reveal why the early development maps of the west often contained more fiction than fact. 2:30 p.m. Oct. 27, free.
"An Evening of Maritime Music" featuring the instructors of the "Sea Shanty Camp of the Columbia," 7:30 p.m. Oct. 27, free.
The Graveyard of the Pacific Shipwreck weekend will be held Oct. 25 through 27 at several parks near the mouth of the Columbia River.
Activities include a sea shanty camp, maritime programs, maritime music, ranger talks and exhibits.
The Columbia River bar area earned the name "Graveyard of the Pacific" after more than 2,000 vessels met their end where the river meets the Pacific Ocean.
Cape Disappointment State Park
Daily tours of the North Head Lighthouse, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Tours cost $2.50 per adult, free ages 7 to 17.
Rangers will give maritime-related talks at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center at 1 p.m. Oct. 26 and 27. The center is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Admission is $5 adults, $2.50 ages 7 to 17 and free for ages 6 and under.
"The River of Lost Ships," an exhibit featuring shipwreck artifacts, historic images and maps, will be displayed at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center through December.
Fort Columbia State Park
Sea Shanty Camp of the Columbia, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 27. Students will learn about the history and performance of maritime music. Participants must pre-register by Oct. 25 by calling (360) 642-3029.
Fort Stevens State Park
Free ranger-lead talks at the Peter Iredale shipwreck, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Oct. 25.
Columbia River Maritime Museum, Astoria
In "Mapping the West: 18th and 19th Century Cartography," Robert Hamm will reveal why the early development maps of the west often contained more fiction than fact. 2:30 p.m. Oct. 27, free.
"An Evening of Maritime Music" featuring the instructors of the "Sea Shanty Camp of the Columbia," 7:30 p.m. Oct. 27, free.
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www.dofundodomar.blogspot.com
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Famed Pirate's Cannon Possibly Raised From Deep
MOREHEAD CITY, N.C. — State underwater archaeologists on Monday raised a cannon from a sunken ship that could have belonged to the pirate Blackbeard.
The roughly 8-foot-long cannon weighs about 2,500 pounds and was pulled from an ongoing excavation at the presumed site of the Queen Anne's Revenge.
Fay Mitchell, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Cultural Resources, said the crew finished bringing it to the surface early Monday afternoon.
The cannon will be on display Wednesday at the N.C. Maritime Museum expansion site at Gallants Channel in Beaufort.
Historians believe Blackbeard's ship — the Queen Anne's Revenge — ran aground in Beaufort Inlet in June 1718.
State archaeologists have researched the shipwreck for 10 years, but are still looking for a indisputable link to Blackbeard.
Their current three-month expedition began in August and is expected to recover thousands of artifacts.
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US treasure ship captain is freed
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BBC
October 17, 2007
The skipper of a treasure-hunting boat intercepted by a Spanish warship this week in a dispute over gold and silver from a sunken galleon has been bailed.
Sterling Vorus, the American captain of the Odyssey Explorer, was released by a judge in Algeciras, southern Spain.
The Spanish Navy blocked the salvage ship after it left Gibraltar on Tuesday and threatened to open fire when the captain refused to let police aboard.
In May, Odyssey found shipwreck booty estimated to be worth $500m (£245m).
After a tense standoff when it left the British port of Gibraltar, Spanish civil guards boarded and searched the vessel.
The Odyssey was then escorted to Algeciras, where the captain was arrested.
'Modern pirates'
Mr Vorus, who is accused of disobeying authority by resisting a judicial search of his vessel, has been freed on condition he present himself every fortnight to the judicial authorities.
Odyssey Marine Explorations - which owns the salvage ship - claims it found the 17th Century galleon in international waters.
But Spanish Culture Minister Antonio Molina on Wednesday said the Florida-based firm was made up of "modern pirates".
He told reporters: "We will pursue them wherever they are. It is a question of national pride and patriotism."
Madrid suspects the sunken treasure galleon may either have been Spanish or have gone down in Spanish waters.
The American firm will only reveal the wreck - codenamed Black Swan - is somewhere in the Atlantic and says it is keeping the location secret to deter looters.
Odyssey said it flew all of the 17-tonne treasure haul from Gibraltar back to Florida in May.
The salvaged trove includes half a million silver coins and hundreds of gold objects.
In July Spanish police searched another ship belonging to Odyssey, the Ocean Alert, after it left Gibraltar.
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BBC
October 17, 2007
The skipper of a treasure-hunting boat intercepted by a Spanish warship this week in a dispute over gold and silver from a sunken galleon has been bailed.
Sterling Vorus, the American captain of the Odyssey Explorer, was released by a judge in Algeciras, southern Spain.
The Spanish Navy blocked the salvage ship after it left Gibraltar on Tuesday and threatened to open fire when the captain refused to let police aboard.
In May, Odyssey found shipwreck booty estimated to be worth $500m (£245m).
After a tense standoff when it left the British port of Gibraltar, Spanish civil guards boarded and searched the vessel.
The Odyssey was then escorted to Algeciras, where the captain was arrested.
'Modern pirates'
Mr Vorus, who is accused of disobeying authority by resisting a judicial search of his vessel, has been freed on condition he present himself every fortnight to the judicial authorities.
Odyssey Marine Explorations - which owns the salvage ship - claims it found the 17th Century galleon in international waters.
But Spanish Culture Minister Antonio Molina on Wednesday said the Florida-based firm was made up of "modern pirates".
He told reporters: "We will pursue them wherever they are. It is a question of national pride and patriotism."
Madrid suspects the sunken treasure galleon may either have been Spanish or have gone down in Spanish waters.
The American firm will only reveal the wreck - codenamed Black Swan - is somewhere in the Atlantic and says it is keeping the location secret to deter looters.
Odyssey said it flew all of the 17-tonne treasure haul from Gibraltar back to Florida in May.
The salvaged trove includes half a million silver coins and hundreds of gold objects.
In July Spanish police searched another ship belonging to Odyssey, the Ocean Alert, after it left Gibraltar.
____
http://www.dofundodomar.blogspot.com/
Spain forces treasure ship into port in battle over fortune in pieces of eight
________________________________________________________________
Guardian Unlimited
By Paul Hamilos
October 17, 2007
A Spanish warship forced a US treasure hunting vessel back into port at gunpoint yesterday as it tried to leave Gibraltar in the latest episode in a battle over what is claimed to be the world's largest recovery of treasure from the sea.
The Odyssey Explorer, a 250ft salvage vessel, was trying to leave Gibraltar, where it had been effectively blockaded for three months after Spain claimed a share of millions of dollars worth of gold and silver coins it had recovered. After setting sail, it was approached by a Spanish navy gunboat and civil guard patrol ship once it passed the three-mile "buffer zone" that surrounds Gibraltar and forced to turn round and head for the Spanish port of Algeciras. "We were forced at gunpoint to come to Algeciras," said Ali Nessar, a company representative on the boat.
Following a stand-off, the boat was boarded and searched for information that Spanish authorities hope could lead to the site of the treasure.
The captain of the Odyssey Explorer, Sterling Vorus, was arrested last night for disobeying orders and was facing the night in jail.
The row centres around Odyssey Marine Exploration, run by Greg Stemm, the world's leading underwater treasure hunter. His company trawls the ocean's floors, looking for sunken treasure, which it then sells to collectors. Founded in 1994, its first major success came with the recovery of $75m worth of booty from the SS Republic, which sank off the coast of Florida in 1865. But now it has come up against the Spanish government in a diplomatic tussle that is costing the company millions of dollars in lost revenue.
In May Odyssey spirited away what it subsequently claimed were $500m worth of silver and gold coins that it found in international waters in the Atlantic Ocean. The coins were flown out of Gibraltar airport and are now sitting in an undisclosed location in Tampa, Florida, where Odyssey is based. The Spanish government believes they were transported with the complicity of the British and that the coins may belong to Spain. Odyssey and the governments of Britain and Gibraltar deny any foul play, saying that Odyssey flew the treasure out from the airport in full compliance with customs requirements.
Spain has filed a suit in Tampa against Odyssey to clarify the details of its discovery, to prevent future recovery efforts and to claim back what has already been discovered. But the company refuses to reveal specific information about the treasure, admitting only that it was found around 180 nautical miles west of Gibraltar. Mr Stemm argues that as "custodians" of the site - which Odyssey has named the Black Swan - they have a responsibility to protect it from other interested parties, including potential treasure hunters.
Mr Stemm says Odyssey is keen to "learn the name of the ship from which we removed the treasure," but that they may "never be able to establish [its] identity". Spain counters that the company's lack of transparency reveals their intention to make a financial profit from its national heritage. The coins are believed to be Spanish, but Odyssey argues that this does not necessarily mean that they came from a Spanish ship. The Spanish "real de a ocho" (piece of eight) was the international currrency of the day and could have ended up on any shipwreck, says the company, which has invested millions of dollars in their recovery.
There is debate over the value of the coins. In export licence applications made to Gibraltar in May the company valued the 500,000 coins at $2.5m (around $5 per coin), but in a press release put out by Odyssey in June, they said the coins may be worth $500m, or $1,000 per coin, making it the world's largest shipwreck recovery. Odyssey said it was not responsible for the higher valuation, based on calculations by an independent numismatist. But they did publicise the higher figure.
Spanish media reports suggest the boat from which the coins were recovered is the Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes, which sank off the coast of Portugal in 1804 after a battle with British warships. Down with it went more than 1m silver coins, plundered from Spain's American colonies. The treasure has entered into Spanish lore as the world's greatest sunken booty and the idea that it might have been whisked away has incensed politicians and journalists.
The battle is unlikely to be resolved on the high seas, but in the Tampa courtroom. Odyssey describes its work as "commercial archaeology" and says that, as the treasure was found in international waters, it should keep 90% of the proceeds. Spain's lawyer, James Goold, counters that "Spain has not abandoned its sunken property and it does not permit unauthorised salvage".
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Guardian Unlimited
By Paul Hamilos
October 17, 2007
A Spanish warship forced a US treasure hunting vessel back into port at gunpoint yesterday as it tried to leave Gibraltar in the latest episode in a battle over what is claimed to be the world's largest recovery of treasure from the sea.
The Odyssey Explorer, a 250ft salvage vessel, was trying to leave Gibraltar, where it had been effectively blockaded for three months after Spain claimed a share of millions of dollars worth of gold and silver coins it had recovered. After setting sail, it was approached by a Spanish navy gunboat and civil guard patrol ship once it passed the three-mile "buffer zone" that surrounds Gibraltar and forced to turn round and head for the Spanish port of Algeciras. "We were forced at gunpoint to come to Algeciras," said Ali Nessar, a company representative on the boat.
Following a stand-off, the boat was boarded and searched for information that Spanish authorities hope could lead to the site of the treasure.
The captain of the Odyssey Explorer, Sterling Vorus, was arrested last night for disobeying orders and was facing the night in jail.
The row centres around Odyssey Marine Exploration, run by Greg Stemm, the world's leading underwater treasure hunter. His company trawls the ocean's floors, looking for sunken treasure, which it then sells to collectors. Founded in 1994, its first major success came with the recovery of $75m worth of booty from the SS Republic, which sank off the coast of Florida in 1865. But now it has come up against the Spanish government in a diplomatic tussle that is costing the company millions of dollars in lost revenue.
In May Odyssey spirited away what it subsequently claimed were $500m worth of silver and gold coins that it found in international waters in the Atlantic Ocean. The coins were flown out of Gibraltar airport and are now sitting in an undisclosed location in Tampa, Florida, where Odyssey is based. The Spanish government believes they were transported with the complicity of the British and that the coins may belong to Spain. Odyssey and the governments of Britain and Gibraltar deny any foul play, saying that Odyssey flew the treasure out from the airport in full compliance with customs requirements.
Spain has filed a suit in Tampa against Odyssey to clarify the details of its discovery, to prevent future recovery efforts and to claim back what has already been discovered. But the company refuses to reveal specific information about the treasure, admitting only that it was found around 180 nautical miles west of Gibraltar. Mr Stemm argues that as "custodians" of the site - which Odyssey has named the Black Swan - they have a responsibility to protect it from other interested parties, including potential treasure hunters.
Mr Stemm says Odyssey is keen to "learn the name of the ship from which we removed the treasure," but that they may "never be able to establish [its] identity". Spain counters that the company's lack of transparency reveals their intention to make a financial profit from its national heritage. The coins are believed to be Spanish, but Odyssey argues that this does not necessarily mean that they came from a Spanish ship. The Spanish "real de a ocho" (piece of eight) was the international currrency of the day and could have ended up on any shipwreck, says the company, which has invested millions of dollars in their recovery.
There is debate over the value of the coins. In export licence applications made to Gibraltar in May the company valued the 500,000 coins at $2.5m (around $5 per coin), but in a press release put out by Odyssey in June, they said the coins may be worth $500m, or $1,000 per coin, making it the world's largest shipwreck recovery. Odyssey said it was not responsible for the higher valuation, based on calculations by an independent numismatist. But they did publicise the higher figure.
Spanish media reports suggest the boat from which the coins were recovered is the Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes, which sank off the coast of Portugal in 1804 after a battle with British warships. Down with it went more than 1m silver coins, plundered from Spain's American colonies. The treasure has entered into Spanish lore as the world's greatest sunken booty and the idea that it might have been whisked away has incensed politicians and journalists.
The battle is unlikely to be resolved on the high seas, but in the Tampa courtroom. Odyssey describes its work as "commercial archaeology" and says that, as the treasure was found in international waters, it should keep 90% of the proceeds. Spain's lawyer, James Goold, counters that "Spain has not abandoned its sunken property and it does not permit unauthorised salvage".
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www.dofundodomar.blogspot.com
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Pesquisador do Ceans é eleito vice-presidente de sociedade de arqueologia no Brasil
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By Glória Tega
October 16, 2007
O arqueólogo Gilson Rambelli, do Centro de Estudos de Arqueologia Náutica e Subaquática da Universidade Estadual de Campinas – CEANS/UNICAMP, foi eleito vice presidente da Sociedade de Arqueologia Brasileira – SAB. A Assembléia Geral Ordinária da sociedade, realizada em 04 de outubro, encerrou o XIV Congresso da Sociedade, que ocorria desde 30 de setembro na cidade de Florianópolis.
A nova gestão, que tem como presidente Denise Schaan, professora da Universidade Federal do Pará, ficará na direção da SAB até 2009. “Acho que a intenção é buscar a regulamentação da profissão de arqueólogo. Além disso, pretendemos continuar promovendo a defesa do patrimônio arqueológico subaquático brasileiro em diferentes seguimentos de nossa sociedade”, conta Rambelli.
Essas atividades que buscam valorização do patrimônio submerso realizadas pelo Ceans foram reconhecidas com um “voto de louvor da SAB”, ganho por unanimidade na mesma Assembléia. “Foi o reconhecimento de um trabalho intenso, que já vem sendo feito há anos. Acredito que tal premiação da SAB ocorreu, pois os resultados dessas ações têm como ápice o Projeto de Lei Federal 7566/ 06, já aprovado por unanimidade na Comissão de Educação e Cultura e aguardando votação na Comissão de Constituição e Justiça e de Cidadania do Congresso Nacional”, explica.
De acordo com o professor, essa proposição representa uma mudança no tratamento que o patrimônio cultural subaquático vinha tendo no Brasil, como “coisa ou bem submerso”. Ao definir esse patrimônio arqueológico como todos os vestígios da existência humana que se encontram submersos, iguala-o ao patrimônio arqueológico que está em superfície. Dessa maneira, o projeto de Lei propõe a extinção da atual Lei Federal n° 10.166, de dezembro de 2000, que permite a comercialização desses vestígios arqueológicos submersos, estabelecendo valor de mercado a eles e recompensas aos exploradores.
O Simpósio de Arqueologia Subaquática
Na ocasião do Congresso da SAB, o CEANS também organizou Simpósio de Arqueologia Subaquática, que contou com a apresentação de diversos trabalhos, realizados em vários pontos do Brasil, que puderam legitimar a Arqueologia Subaquática no Brasil, desmistificando-a da idéia de uma disciplina aventureira.
No Simpósio, foram expostos trabalhos que estudam o patrimônio cultural subaquático em diferentes formas, como naufrágios, paisagens marítimas, gravuras rupestres submersas, vestígios arqueológicos submersos no Arquipélago de São Pedro e São Paulo (localizado no meio do oceano atlântico, a 1100 km de Natal) e até a ocupação ao longo dos anos de uma ilha do litoral sul de São Paulo. “Contamos com a presença de pesquisadores que atuam em diferentes linhas de pesquisas arqueológicas, como Pré-História, História, Pública, Teoria e Método, comprometidos com as normas da ‘Convenção da UNESCO para Proteção do Patrimônio Cultural Subaquático’, que é instrumento jurídico internacional elaborado para assegurar a proteção de tal patrimônio. Todos esses trabalhos, consolidaram, perante a SAB, a Arqueologia Subaquática, por isso foi muito importante”, conclui Rambelli.
Confira o que foi apresentado no Simpósio de Arqueologia Subaquática:
Simpósio de Arqueologia Subaquática I
COORDENADOR: GILSON RAMBELLI
DEBATEDOR: FLÁVIO RIZZI CALIPPO
PARTICIPANTES E TÍTULOS DAS APRESENTAÇÕES
1) Gilson Rambelli - “Arqueologia de um navio negreiro: um estudo de caso em Angra dos Reis (RJ)”;
2) Flávio Calippo - “Arqueologia do Arquipélago de São Pedro e São Paulo”;
3) Carlos Rios - “Identificação arqueológica de um naufrágio na área do lamarão externo do porto do Recife, PE, Brasil”;
4) Rodrigo Torres - “Arqueologia náutica na cidade do Rio Grande/RS: Proposta e resultados parciais do projeto sítio arqueológico escola”.
Simpósio de Arqueologia Subaquática II
COORDENADOR: GILSON RAMBELLI
DEBATEDOR: PAULO FERNANDO BAVA DE CAMARGO
PARTICIPANTES E TÍTULOS DAS APRESENTAÇÕES
Edithe Pereira - “Arqueologia subaquática na Amazônia – a documentação das gravuras rupestres do sítio Mussurá, rio Trombetas (PA)”
Paulo Fernando Bava de Camargo - “Arqueologia de uma cidade portuária: Cananéia, séculos XIX-XX”
Leandro Duran - “Arqueologia marítima da Ilha do Bom Abrigo”
Ricardo Guimarães - “Prospecções arqueológicas realizadas na enseada da praia do Farol da ilha do Bom Abrigo”.
____
www.dofundodomar.blogspot.com
By Glória Tega
October 16, 2007
O arqueólogo Gilson Rambelli, do Centro de Estudos de Arqueologia Náutica e Subaquática da Universidade Estadual de Campinas – CEANS/UNICAMP, foi eleito vice presidente da Sociedade de Arqueologia Brasileira – SAB. A Assembléia Geral Ordinária da sociedade, realizada em 04 de outubro, encerrou o XIV Congresso da Sociedade, que ocorria desde 30 de setembro na cidade de Florianópolis.
A nova gestão, que tem como presidente Denise Schaan, professora da Universidade Federal do Pará, ficará na direção da SAB até 2009. “Acho que a intenção é buscar a regulamentação da profissão de arqueólogo. Além disso, pretendemos continuar promovendo a defesa do patrimônio arqueológico subaquático brasileiro em diferentes seguimentos de nossa sociedade”, conta Rambelli.
Essas atividades que buscam valorização do patrimônio submerso realizadas pelo Ceans foram reconhecidas com um “voto de louvor da SAB”, ganho por unanimidade na mesma Assembléia. “Foi o reconhecimento de um trabalho intenso, que já vem sendo feito há anos. Acredito que tal premiação da SAB ocorreu, pois os resultados dessas ações têm como ápice o Projeto de Lei Federal 7566/ 06, já aprovado por unanimidade na Comissão de Educação e Cultura e aguardando votação na Comissão de Constituição e Justiça e de Cidadania do Congresso Nacional”, explica.
De acordo com o professor, essa proposição representa uma mudança no tratamento que o patrimônio cultural subaquático vinha tendo no Brasil, como “coisa ou bem submerso”. Ao definir esse patrimônio arqueológico como todos os vestígios da existência humana que se encontram submersos, iguala-o ao patrimônio arqueológico que está em superfície. Dessa maneira, o projeto de Lei propõe a extinção da atual Lei Federal n° 10.166, de dezembro de 2000, que permite a comercialização desses vestígios arqueológicos submersos, estabelecendo valor de mercado a eles e recompensas aos exploradores.
O Simpósio de Arqueologia Subaquática
Na ocasião do Congresso da SAB, o CEANS também organizou Simpósio de Arqueologia Subaquática, que contou com a apresentação de diversos trabalhos, realizados em vários pontos do Brasil, que puderam legitimar a Arqueologia Subaquática no Brasil, desmistificando-a da idéia de uma disciplina aventureira.
No Simpósio, foram expostos trabalhos que estudam o patrimônio cultural subaquático em diferentes formas, como naufrágios, paisagens marítimas, gravuras rupestres submersas, vestígios arqueológicos submersos no Arquipélago de São Pedro e São Paulo (localizado no meio do oceano atlântico, a 1100 km de Natal) e até a ocupação ao longo dos anos de uma ilha do litoral sul de São Paulo. “Contamos com a presença de pesquisadores que atuam em diferentes linhas de pesquisas arqueológicas, como Pré-História, História, Pública, Teoria e Método, comprometidos com as normas da ‘Convenção da UNESCO para Proteção do Patrimônio Cultural Subaquático’, que é instrumento jurídico internacional elaborado para assegurar a proteção de tal patrimônio. Todos esses trabalhos, consolidaram, perante a SAB, a Arqueologia Subaquática, por isso foi muito importante”, conclui Rambelli.
Confira o que foi apresentado no Simpósio de Arqueologia Subaquática:
Simpósio de Arqueologia Subaquática I
COORDENADOR: GILSON RAMBELLI
DEBATEDOR: FLÁVIO RIZZI CALIPPO
PARTICIPANTES E TÍTULOS DAS APRESENTAÇÕES
1) Gilson Rambelli - “Arqueologia de um navio negreiro: um estudo de caso em Angra dos Reis (RJ)”;
2) Flávio Calippo - “Arqueologia do Arquipélago de São Pedro e São Paulo”;
3) Carlos Rios - “Identificação arqueológica de um naufrágio na área do lamarão externo do porto do Recife, PE, Brasil”;
4) Rodrigo Torres - “Arqueologia náutica na cidade do Rio Grande/RS: Proposta e resultados parciais do projeto sítio arqueológico escola”.
Simpósio de Arqueologia Subaquática II
COORDENADOR: GILSON RAMBELLI
DEBATEDOR: PAULO FERNANDO BAVA DE CAMARGO
PARTICIPANTES E TÍTULOS DAS APRESENTAÇÕES
Edithe Pereira - “Arqueologia subaquática na Amazônia – a documentação das gravuras rupestres do sítio Mussurá, rio Trombetas (PA)”
Paulo Fernando Bava de Camargo - “Arqueologia de uma cidade portuária: Cananéia, séculos XIX-XX”
Leandro Duran - “Arqueologia marítima da Ilha do Bom Abrigo”
Ricardo Guimarães - “Prospecções arqueológicas realizadas na enseada da praia do Farol da ilha do Bom Abrigo”.
____
www.dofundodomar.blogspot.com
Monday, October 15, 2007
LATE BRONZE AGE SHIPWRECKS - Bodrum
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October 15, 2007
This hall consists of three sections. In the first section artifacts from the Gelidonya Cape shipwreck of 2th century B.C. and the Şeytan Deresi Shipwreck of 16th century B.C. are displayed. On the left side of this section artifacts excavated from the world’s first scientific underwater excavation are placed. This shipwreck was shown to scientists by Captain Kemal Aras, owner of a sponge diving boat. The excavation of the shipwreck was carried out by George F. Bass in 1960. This is a Syrian commercial ship belonging to a merchant. Finds taken out from the shipwreck gives us information about the commerce of the age. The ship sunk at Antalya-Finike-Gelidonya Cape, at the location of Beş Adalar with copper nuggets it got from Cyprus. Large earthenware jars (pithos) and amphoras found on the right side of the first hall were shown to the Institute of Nautical Archaeology (INA) by the sponge diver Cumhur İlik. The excavation of the shipwreck was carried out by Prof. George F. Bass in 1975.
In the second section the model of the Uluburun Shipwreck of 14th century B.C. can be seen on 1/1 scale. Under this model, the distribution of the shipwreck under water is displayed as it was found. In the third section various artifacts taken out from the excavation of the Kaş Uluburun shipwreck can be seen.
In the second hall the Kaş-Uluburn shipwreck is shown in the harbour and underwater.
Such an exhibition is first of its kind in the world. This ship was shown in 1982 by the sponge diver Mehmet Çakır of Bodrum. The first scientific dive to this boat was carried out in October 1982 by a team from the Museum Directorship. The excavation of the shipwreck was done between 1984-1994 by the Institute of Nautical Archaeology (INA) under the chairmanship of first Prof. Dr. George F. Bass and then of Dr. Cemal Pulak.
The ship’s load is spread over an area at 44-61 depth. It is approximately 15 m long and is made of cedar wood. The rich load of the Uluburun ship consists mainly of raw materials. It was carried in the form of 10 ton pure copper nuggets. Also about 1 ton of pure tin nuggets have been taken hold of. Bronze alloy is produced by mixing tin and copper at a ratio of 1/10. Over 150 of the oldest known glass nuggets have been found on the Uluburun ship. Ebony tree logs, hippopotamus teeth and ostrich eggs are other raw materials carried on the ship. Terebinth resin, glass beads and olive was carried inside amphoras of three different sizes. Besides raw materials finished products were also found on the shipwreck. Oil lamps, bowls, tin containers, flasks, tile drink containers are other materials found on the shipwreck. A rich group of jewelry from Canaan Country was excavated from the shipwreck.
Among the Egyptian artifacts in the shape of the scarab beetle used as personal seals or amulets, the golden seal of Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten’s wife Nefertiti (1376-1358 B.C. or 1339-1327 B.C.) was found. The ship is thought to have sunk in the period after the reign of Nefertiti. The scarab was found among a scrap pile of jewellery on the shipwreck. Cylindirical seals of Babylonian, Syrian and Palestine origin were found on the ship. Ivory cosmetics boxes, beads, rings made out of seashells, a golden goblet without a handle, a bronze goddess statuette whose neck, hands and feet are covered with gold leaf (perhaps the ship’s guardian goddess?), swords of Canaan and Mycenian origin, weapons of near eastern origin, bronze tools, zoomorphic scale weights of Syrian-Palestinian origin and geometrical weights, a wooden writing plate held together with ivory hinges, fishnet sinkers show the richness of the ship’s load.
The Uluburun ship is one of the most important finds of the last century. The cedar tree was used to date the ship to 1305 B.C. using dendrochronology.
____
www.dofundodomar.blogspot.com
This hall consists of three sections. In the first section artifacts from the Gelidonya Cape shipwreck of 2th century B.C. and the Şeytan Deresi Shipwreck of 16th century B.C. are displayed. On the left side of this section artifacts excavated from the world’s first scientific underwater excavation are placed. This shipwreck was shown to scientists by Captain Kemal Aras, owner of a sponge diving boat. The excavation of the shipwreck was carried out by George F. Bass in 1960. This is a Syrian commercial ship belonging to a merchant. Finds taken out from the shipwreck gives us information about the commerce of the age. The ship sunk at Antalya-Finike-Gelidonya Cape, at the location of Beş Adalar with copper nuggets it got from Cyprus. Large earthenware jars (pithos) and amphoras found on the right side of the first hall were shown to the Institute of Nautical Archaeology (INA) by the sponge diver Cumhur İlik. The excavation of the shipwreck was carried out by Prof. George F. Bass in 1975.
In the second section the model of the Uluburun Shipwreck of 14th century B.C. can be seen on 1/1 scale. Under this model, the distribution of the shipwreck under water is displayed as it was found. In the third section various artifacts taken out from the excavation of the Kaş Uluburun shipwreck can be seen.
In the second hall the Kaş-Uluburn shipwreck is shown in the harbour and underwater.
Such an exhibition is first of its kind in the world. This ship was shown in 1982 by the sponge diver Mehmet Çakır of Bodrum. The first scientific dive to this boat was carried out in October 1982 by a team from the Museum Directorship. The excavation of the shipwreck was done between 1984-1994 by the Institute of Nautical Archaeology (INA) under the chairmanship of first Prof. Dr. George F. Bass and then of Dr. Cemal Pulak.
The ship’s load is spread over an area at 44-61 depth. It is approximately 15 m long and is made of cedar wood. The rich load of the Uluburun ship consists mainly of raw materials. It was carried in the form of 10 ton pure copper nuggets. Also about 1 ton of pure tin nuggets have been taken hold of. Bronze alloy is produced by mixing tin and copper at a ratio of 1/10. Over 150 of the oldest known glass nuggets have been found on the Uluburun ship. Ebony tree logs, hippopotamus teeth and ostrich eggs are other raw materials carried on the ship. Terebinth resin, glass beads and olive was carried inside amphoras of three different sizes. Besides raw materials finished products were also found on the shipwreck. Oil lamps, bowls, tin containers, flasks, tile drink containers are other materials found on the shipwreck. A rich group of jewelry from Canaan Country was excavated from the shipwreck.
Among the Egyptian artifacts in the shape of the scarab beetle used as personal seals or amulets, the golden seal of Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten’s wife Nefertiti (1376-1358 B.C. or 1339-1327 B.C.) was found. The ship is thought to have sunk in the period after the reign of Nefertiti. The scarab was found among a scrap pile of jewellery on the shipwreck. Cylindirical seals of Babylonian, Syrian and Palestine origin were found on the ship. Ivory cosmetics boxes, beads, rings made out of seashells, a golden goblet without a handle, a bronze goddess statuette whose neck, hands and feet are covered with gold leaf (perhaps the ship’s guardian goddess?), swords of Canaan and Mycenian origin, weapons of near eastern origin, bronze tools, zoomorphic scale weights of Syrian-Palestinian origin and geometrical weights, a wooden writing plate held together with ivory hinges, fishnet sinkers show the richness of the ship’s load.
The Uluburun ship is one of the most important finds of the last century. The cedar tree was used to date the ship to 1305 B.C. using dendrochronology.
____
www.dofundodomar.blogspot.com
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Reunião Anual do Comitê Internacional sobre o Patrimônio Cultural Subaquático do Conselho Internacional de Monumentos e Sítios (ICUCH /ICOMOS)
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By Glória Tega
October 13, 2007
Nos dia 27 e 28 de outubro, na cidade de Itaparica-BA, será realizada a Reunião Anual do Comitê Internacional sobre o Patrimônio Cultural Subaquático do Conselho Internacional de Monumentos e Sítios (ICUCH /ICOMOS), órgão consultivo da Organização das Nações Unidas para a Educação, a Ciência e a Cultura (UNESCO). No encontro, estarão presentes arqueólogos especialistas em Arqueologia Subaquática, vindos de toda parte do mundo, discutindo a situação do patrimônio cultural subaquático no planeta e medidas a favor da Convenção da Unesco para a Proteção do Patrimônio Cultural Subaquático.
A Convenção da Unesco é um documento adotado pela 31ª Conferência Geral da UNESCO, em novembro de 2001, que serve como um instrumento jurídico internacional elaborado para assegurar a proteção do Patrimônio Cultural Subaquático. O Camboja foi o vigésimo país a ratificar a Convenção, fazendo com que ela passe, a partir de agora, a vigorar em todo o mundo.
O Brasil não apoiou o tal texto porque antes disso, em dezembro de 2000, sancionou a Lei Federal n° 10.166 que permite a comercialização dos vestígios arqueológicos submersos, estabelecendo valor de mercado a eles e recompensas aos exploradores. Porém, desde novembro de 2006, tramita no Congresso Nacional o Projeto de Lei 7566, de autoria da Deputada maranhense Nice Lobão. A proposição representa uma mudança no tratamento que o patrimônio cultural subaquático vinha tendo no Brasil. "O projeto é uma esperança para o Brasil. A Lei 7.566 é compatível com a Convenção da Unesco e, ao ser aprovada, poderemos também ratificar a Convenção", prevê Gilson Rambelli, arqueólogo representante do ICUCH no Brasil. Rambelli é membro do Centro de Estudos de Arqueologia Náutica e Subaquática da Universidade Estadual de Campinas - CEANS/UNICAMP, o primeiro centro brasileiro especializado e cientificamente comprometido com a proteção e gestão do patrimônio cultural subaquático, parceiro do ICUCH na elaboração e divulgação da Convenção da Unesco.
Desta maneira, a realização da reunião anual do ICUCH no Brasil é também uma forma de apoiar as ações do CEANS e a mudança na lei brasileira que trata do patrimônio cultural subaquático. "O problema é solúvel mais não vai ser fácil porque, para mim, a legislação brasileira é a pior do mundo", comenta o presidente do ICUCH Robert Grenier, que estará presente na reunião. Grenier participou ativamente dos trabalhos de redação da Convenção e é um dos arqueólogos mais importantes na luta por princípios e normas de gestão deste patrimônio à escala mundial.
A Reunião Anual do Comitê Internacional sobre o Patrimônio Cultural Subaquático do Conselho Internacional de Monumentos e Sítios - ICUCH será realizada logo após "Simpósio Internacional - Arqueologia Marítima nas Américas: ocupações litorâneas, barcos e navios, portos e áreas portuárias", entre os dias 24 e 26 de outubro, também em Itaparica. Os eventos pretendem também impulsionar o recém criado Núcleo de Estudos Avançados de Pesquisa em Arqueologia e Etnografia do Mar, em Itaparica, do Museu de Arqueologia e Etnologia da Universidade Federal da Bahia (MAE/UFBA).
Outras informações podem ser obtidas no site http://www.mbts_insitu.mae.ufba.br/
CONTATO:
Glória Tega
Assessora de imprensa - CEANS/NEPAM/ UNICAMP
MTB: 038173
E-mail- imprensa@arqueologiasubaquatica.org.br
Telefone - (11) 99563230
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www.dofundodomar.blogspot.com
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Just what did the Mary Rose tell us?
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BBC News Magazine
By Finlo Rohrer
October 11, 2007
The Mary Rose in dry dock
The raising of the Mary Rose in 1982 was greeted with feverish excitement, but what has this landmark find actually told us in the 25 years since?
BBC News Magazine
By Finlo Rohrer
October 11, 2007
The Mary Rose in dry dock
The raising of the Mary Rose in 1982 was greeted with feverish excitement, but what has this landmark find actually told us in the 25 years since?
At the tail end of 1982 it seemed like you couldn't switch on Newsround without seeing something to do with Mary Rose.
Our fascination with the ship that met a sticky end while firing at a French invasion fleet in 1545 has flared at times in the years since. It is almost a rite of passage for some school children to go and see this emblem of the Tudor age.
But as significant as the ship itself are the artefacts that were recovered (both from within and from the sea bed), providing an insight into the life of the Tudors; proving and disproving countless strands of conjecture about the period.
Historian David Starkey has described the Mary Rose as "this country's Pompeii, preserved by water not by fire". Unlike most archaeological sites it has not been significantly interfered with by subsequent generations.
"It is a time capsule, literally frozen in time from the day she sank in 1545," explains Rear Admiral John Lippiett, chief executive of the Mary Rose Trust. "It has given us an insight into Tudor life that was unachievable."
Items recovered from the wreck have given alarming insights into the world of Tudor medicine. Looking at a urethral syringe that would have been loaded with mercury, one might wince. But this would have been used to treat syphilis in the sailors. We know now, of course, that mercury is a poison.
As well as the artefacts, the bodies recovered from the wreck have shown the state of health of some Tudor males. The average height of the sailors was 5ft 7ins, not perhaps as short as some might have supposed.
To Captain Christopher Page, head of the Naval Historical Branch, this is perhaps the most startling discovery.
"I'm a historian of the First World War and the average height of a soldier in that conflict was in the order of 5ft 6ins." Compared with their counterparts 350 years later, "the men in the Mary Rose were bigger, stronger and fitter," says Capt Page.
"In some respects the men who manned the Mary Rose were an elite, but this also perhaps tells you something about changes in society. By the late 19th/early 20th Century, we were more urbanised and the diet wasn't as good."
Of those on board, 25% had no significant tooth decay, leading Admiral Lippiett to suggest the "shape of their teeth was far better than in today's society".
Navigational objects on the ship forced archaeologists to reconsider their take on Tudor technology. A gimbals compass, which will rotate on two axes so it remains horizontal whatever the movement of the ship, was thought to be an object of the 17th Century. But three were recovered from the Mary Rose.
Of the military finds, Capt Page is most struck by the longbows on board - measuring "in the order of 6ft".
"I had it in my own mind that longbows had been phased out by then. There were so few in existence, from the era before the Mary Rose, you realise these were extremely powerful weapons and required great strength and specialism to use them."
A still shawm, a precursor of the modern oboe, was also found on the ship. Something that had been written about in accounts of the time could now be reconstructed and played. It sounds rather like a kazoo.
Objects like clothes, shoes, wooden bowls and cups are the kind of things that are not always found in digs from the period.
The recovery of the ship has also allowed the story of the its demise to be fleshed out, Admiral Lippiett says.
The Mary Rose, effectively the Royal Navy's first dedicated warship, was firing guns on the starboard side, with 200 soldiers in heavy armour on its deck, in gathering winds, probably trying to alter course to fire its stern guns at the French ships. Its open gun ports allowed the water in.
Work done on the ship has also helped to refine conservation techniques first used on the Swedish ship Vasa in Stockholm. Wood is sprayed with cold water and polyethylene gycol. In 2011 the spraying will stop and the ship will be "baked". It will then be able to be viewed without glass.
"It will be as solid as the oak floor I'm standing on," says Admiral Lippiett.
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www.dofundodomar.blogspot.com
Researchers display shipwreck artifacts
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Yahoo News
By Garry Mitchell
October 11, 2007
PENSACOLA, Fla. - In 1559, a hurricane plunged as many as seven Spanish sailing vessels to the bottom of Pensacola Bay, hampering explorer Don Tristan de Luna's attempt to colonize this section of the Florida Panhandle.
Almost 500 years later and 15 years after the first ship was found, another has been discovered, helping archaeologists unlock secrets to Florida's Spanish past. The colony at the site of present-day Pensacola was abandoned in 1561, and no trace of it has been found on land.
Teams of University of West Florida archaeology students last summer discovered what they thought was the shipwreck, picking up pieces of artifacts from the site. A 32-by-24-foot barge now covers the site to give divers access.
Florida Secretary of State Kurt Browning joined divers Thursday for a close look at the shipwreck, partially buried in sand about 12 feet below the water surface. It was "incredible" to touch something that has been submerged for centuries, Browning said.
"It was in good condition. As far as pieces of pottery, you could feel the bowls," he said.
The discovery is "another piece of the puzzle" of Florida's Spanish ancestry, Browning said, adding that he does not expect the ship to be removed from the water.
About 650 artifacts, mostly pieces of pottery and wood, were on display Thursday for about 100 people, among them members of the public, who gathered on land about a half mile from the shipwreck.
"It's an amazing site," said Gregory D. Cook, a University of West Florida nautical archaeologist.
Test excavations suggest about 60 to 66 feet of preserved hull from a small to medium-size vessel, he said.
The ship would likely have been built a few years before 1559, said Dr. Roger C. Smith, the state's underwater archaeologist.
The first de Luna ship was found in 1992 in the same area, near what de Luna founded as Florida's initial European settlement. Researchers believe as many as five other vessels were lost in the hurricane Sept. 19, 1559. The search for the others continues.
"These sites are unique doorways into Florida's past," Smith said.
They also give archaeology students an unusual opportunity for research.
Siska Williams of Atlanta, a West Florida graduate student in archaeology, said she has made about 100 dives at the site. In one, divers recovered seeds and rat skeletons, she said.
The ship apparently held food stocks and other supplies for the colonization campaign, a carefully planned expedition financed by the Spanish crown.
After the storm, only three ships were still afloat, including two small barks and the expedition's only caravel.
No human remains were found at the site, Williams said: "Most of the crew had gone ashore because of the hurricane."
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www.dofundodomar.blogspot.com
Yahoo News
By Garry Mitchell
October 11, 2007
PENSACOLA, Fla. - In 1559, a hurricane plunged as many as seven Spanish sailing vessels to the bottom of Pensacola Bay, hampering explorer Don Tristan de Luna's attempt to colonize this section of the Florida Panhandle.
Almost 500 years later and 15 years after the first ship was found, another has been discovered, helping archaeologists unlock secrets to Florida's Spanish past. The colony at the site of present-day Pensacola was abandoned in 1561, and no trace of it has been found on land.
Teams of University of West Florida archaeology students last summer discovered what they thought was the shipwreck, picking up pieces of artifacts from the site. A 32-by-24-foot barge now covers the site to give divers access.
Florida Secretary of State Kurt Browning joined divers Thursday for a close look at the shipwreck, partially buried in sand about 12 feet below the water surface. It was "incredible" to touch something that has been submerged for centuries, Browning said.
"It was in good condition. As far as pieces of pottery, you could feel the bowls," he said.
The discovery is "another piece of the puzzle" of Florida's Spanish ancestry, Browning said, adding that he does not expect the ship to be removed from the water.
About 650 artifacts, mostly pieces of pottery and wood, were on display Thursday for about 100 people, among them members of the public, who gathered on land about a half mile from the shipwreck.
"It's an amazing site," said Gregory D. Cook, a University of West Florida nautical archaeologist.
Test excavations suggest about 60 to 66 feet of preserved hull from a small to medium-size vessel, he said.
The ship would likely have been built a few years before 1559, said Dr. Roger C. Smith, the state's underwater archaeologist.
The first de Luna ship was found in 1992 in the same area, near what de Luna founded as Florida's initial European settlement. Researchers believe as many as five other vessels were lost in the hurricane Sept. 19, 1559. The search for the others continues.
"These sites are unique doorways into Florida's past," Smith said.
They also give archaeology students an unusual opportunity for research.
Siska Williams of Atlanta, a West Florida graduate student in archaeology, said she has made about 100 dives at the site. In one, divers recovered seeds and rat skeletons, she said.
The ship apparently held food stocks and other supplies for the colonization campaign, a carefully planned expedition financed by the Spanish crown.
After the storm, only three ships were still afloat, including two small barks and the expedition's only caravel.
No human remains were found at the site, Williams said: "Most of the crew had gone ashore because of the hurricane."
____
www.dofundodomar.blogspot.com
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Rare boat found in North Carolina river
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KVIA.com
October 10, 2007
TARBORO, N.C. - Thanks to low water levels caused by a drought, the remains of a rare wooden boat that could be nearly 200 years old have turned up in North Carolina's Tar River.
Assistant State Archaeologist Nathan Henry says officials believe the 80-foot-long vessel could be a North Carolina pole boat, which were made in the 1820s and preceded steamboats. He says it turned up near the Old Sparta bridge in Tarboro. The town about 60 miles east of Raleigh was once a thriving port center.
Henry says common practice at the time was to desert a boat if it was too leaky or had other problems. He says that's likely what happened to this vessel.
State officials plan to do more research on the boat and ask the public not to disturb it.
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www.dofundodomar.blogspot.com
KVIA.com
October 10, 2007
TARBORO, N.C. - Thanks to low water levels caused by a drought, the remains of a rare wooden boat that could be nearly 200 years old have turned up in North Carolina's Tar River.
Assistant State Archaeologist Nathan Henry says officials believe the 80-foot-long vessel could be a North Carolina pole boat, which were made in the 1820s and preceded steamboats. He says it turned up near the Old Sparta bridge in Tarboro. The town about 60 miles east of Raleigh was once a thriving port center.
Henry says common practice at the time was to desert a boat if it was too leaky or had other problems. He says that's likely what happened to this vessel.
State officials plan to do more research on the boat and ask the public not to disturb it.
____
www.dofundodomar.blogspot.com
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Shipwreck found off Alaskan coast
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Yahoo! News
By Jeannette J. Lee
October 09, 2007
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - A private dive team has discovered the wreckage of an American ship that sank off the south-central Alaska coast 139 years ago. The Torrent sank in Cook Inlet in 1868 after tidal currents rammed it into a reef south of the Kenai Peninsula. Documents from the period show that all 155 people on board survived.
The U.S. had purchased Alaska from Russia less than a year earlier, and about 130 Army soldiers had come north on the Torrent to build the first U.S. military fort in south-central Alaska.
The shipwreck is the oldest American wreck ever found in Alaska.
"It's a very significant find because it's right after the purchase, during the transition from Russian to American authority," said Judy Bittner, a state historic preservation officer. "It's the very beginning of federal presence in Alaska and the establishment of order."
A four-man dive team led by Steve Lloyd, owner of Anchorage's largest independent book store, found remnants of the wreckage in July. They kept the discovery secret at the request of state officials, who wanted more time to document the site before any looters arrive. Its discovery was announced Monday.
An array of objects, from guns, cannons, shoes and plates, are hidden beneath the broad leaves of giant kelp beds or concealed in caverns and crevices among massive boulders, Lloyd said.
"It's like walking through a field of tall grass and undergrowth looking for a baseball that you've lost," Lloyd said.
Big finds include the two anchors, sections of hull and heavy bronze rudder hinges weighing about 100 lbs.
About 2,500 ships have wrecked off the Alaska coast since Russian explorers first arrived in 1741, according to Mike Burwell, a cultural anthropologist for the federal Minerals Management Service. A partial database on the service's Web site lists Japanese submarines and fishing trawlers, Liberian freighters and New England whaling ships, among others.
The Torrent is now being considered for listing in the National Registry of Historic Places. Bittner said state or federal archaeologists may study the wreck if they can secure enough funding.
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www.dofundodomar.blogspot.com
Yahoo! News
By Jeannette J. Lee
October 09, 2007
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - A private dive team has discovered the wreckage of an American ship that sank off the south-central Alaska coast 139 years ago. The Torrent sank in Cook Inlet in 1868 after tidal currents rammed it into a reef south of the Kenai Peninsula. Documents from the period show that all 155 people on board survived.
The U.S. had purchased Alaska from Russia less than a year earlier, and about 130 Army soldiers had come north on the Torrent to build the first U.S. military fort in south-central Alaska.
The shipwreck is the oldest American wreck ever found in Alaska.
"It's a very significant find because it's right after the purchase, during the transition from Russian to American authority," said Judy Bittner, a state historic preservation officer. "It's the very beginning of federal presence in Alaska and the establishment of order."
A four-man dive team led by Steve Lloyd, owner of Anchorage's largest independent book store, found remnants of the wreckage in July. They kept the discovery secret at the request of state officials, who wanted more time to document the site before any looters arrive. Its discovery was announced Monday.
An array of objects, from guns, cannons, shoes and plates, are hidden beneath the broad leaves of giant kelp beds or concealed in caverns and crevices among massive boulders, Lloyd said.
"It's like walking through a field of tall grass and undergrowth looking for a baseball that you've lost," Lloyd said.
Big finds include the two anchors, sections of hull and heavy bronze rudder hinges weighing about 100 lbs.
About 2,500 ships have wrecked off the Alaska coast since Russian explorers first arrived in 1741, according to Mike Burwell, a cultural anthropologist for the federal Minerals Management Service. A partial database on the service's Web site lists Japanese submarines and fishing trawlers, Liberian freighters and New England whaling ships, among others.
The Torrent is now being considered for listing in the National Registry of Historic Places. Bittner said state or federal archaeologists may study the wreck if they can secure enough funding.
____
www.dofundodomar.blogspot.com
Friday, October 05, 2007
Underwater archaeologists find mediaeval artefacts in German lake
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Earth Times
Earth Times
October 05, 2007
Arendsee, Germany - Archaeologists have made significant mediaeval finds in the northern German lake, the Arendsee, that reveal fishing activities linked to a nearby monastery. Speaking before the 14th annual meeting this weekend of European underwater archaeologists at the lake, Rosemarie Leineweber of the monuments and archaeology office of the state of Saxony-Anhalt noted in particular the discovery of a dugout.
"We estimate that the dugout dates back to the end of the 14th century and that fishermen used it to provide fish for a Benedictine convent," Leineweber said.
Archaeologists, with the aid of the local underwater diving club, have been researching the lake - at 30 metres one of the deepest in this part of Germany - since 2004.
They have found several vessels, as well as a fence-like construction for catching fish dated to the Stone Age.
The dugout has been removed from the lake and treated to conserve it.
The diving teams have also found a "Prahm" - a shallow-draught vessel used in the inland waters of north-western Europe to transport people and goods.
The Prahm, which measures 13 metres and has been dated to the 13th century, is thought to be unique to the region.
"Probably the Prahm was used to transport the convent residents, or possibly building material for the convent," Leineweber said. The vessel has not yet been raised.
Another significant find is the fence for catching fish. "The construction dates back to the years 2500 to 2700 before our era and is in excellent condition," Leineweber said.
____
www.dofundodomar.blogspot.com
Arendsee, Germany - Archaeologists have made significant mediaeval finds in the northern German lake, the Arendsee, that reveal fishing activities linked to a nearby monastery. Speaking before the 14th annual meeting this weekend of European underwater archaeologists at the lake, Rosemarie Leineweber of the monuments and archaeology office of the state of Saxony-Anhalt noted in particular the discovery of a dugout.
"We estimate that the dugout dates back to the end of the 14th century and that fishermen used it to provide fish for a Benedictine convent," Leineweber said.
Archaeologists, with the aid of the local underwater diving club, have been researching the lake - at 30 metres one of the deepest in this part of Germany - since 2004.
They have found several vessels, as well as a fence-like construction for catching fish dated to the Stone Age.
The dugout has been removed from the lake and treated to conserve it.
The diving teams have also found a "Prahm" - a shallow-draught vessel used in the inland waters of north-western Europe to transport people and goods.
The Prahm, which measures 13 metres and has been dated to the 13th century, is thought to be unique to the region.
"Probably the Prahm was used to transport the convent residents, or possibly building material for the convent," Leineweber said. The vessel has not yet been raised.
Another significant find is the fence for catching fish. "The construction dates back to the years 2500 to 2700 before our era and is in excellent condition," Leineweber said.
____
www.dofundodomar.blogspot.com
IN POSEIDONS REICH XIII (2008) - Call for Papers
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October 05, 2007
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www.dofundodomar.blogspot.com
October 05, 2007
The underwater archaeology conference IN POSEIDONS REICH XIII, will be held on 15th - 17th February 2008 in the newly founded International Maritime Museum in Hamburg.
Download call for papers: http://www.deguwa.org/documents/IRP_XIII_cfp_e.pdf
Although they welcome contributions from all areas within the broad field of underwater archaeology, the focus of this annual conference lies particularly on:
- equipment and items of personal belonging in shipwrecks
- the importance of ancient model ships and modern reconstructions for the understanding of ancient seafaring and, last not least,
- the execution of the UNESCO Convention for the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage.
Please visit the website http://www.deguwa.org/ for further information on this and past conferences.
The official conference languages will be English, German and French.
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www.dofundodomar.blogspot.com
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
“The Early Days of Nautical Archaeology at Work in Three Locations:
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October 02, 2007
Thursday, October 25th, 7 pm at the St. Augustine Lighthouse Gallery (upstairs in the Keeper’s House).
As part of First Coast Maritime Archaeology Project Lecture Series, the St. Augustine Lighthouse and Museum announces a lecture by Dr. David Switzer, Professor Emeritus at Plymouth State University, titled:
“The Early Days of Nautical Archaeology at Work in Three Locations:
the Bay of Fundy, Cyprus; and Turkey”
The three sites in question represent three types of merchant vessels that were excavated in the 1960s and 1970s, an early stage in the development of nautical archaeology as a scientific discipline.
In the frigid waters of Grand Manan Island in the Bay of Fundy (Canada) are 19th century sailing vessels and an early 20th century freighter.
Off the island of Kyrenia, Cyprus a 3rd century BC wreck was excavated, raised, reconstructed and a sailing replica built.
The waters off Yassi Ada, a fly-speck-sized island near the south west coast of Turkey, is the “home” to two Byzantine wrecks; the oldest dates to the 4th century AD.
The Kyrenia ship and the Yassi Ada vessel, though they sailed seven centuries apart, both carried dry cargo and wine in amphoras.
Off Grand Manan cargos that have resisted decomposition included railroad iron and scotch whiskey.
Each of these sites offered unique challenges to their excavators, and all yielded information important to our knowledge of ancient and more recent maritime history regarding trade and vessel construction methods.
____
www.dofundodomar.blogspot.com
October 02, 2007
Thursday, October 25th, 7 pm at the St. Augustine Lighthouse Gallery (upstairs in the Keeper’s House).
As part of First Coast Maritime Archaeology Project Lecture Series, the St. Augustine Lighthouse and Museum announces a lecture by Dr. David Switzer, Professor Emeritus at Plymouth State University, titled:
“The Early Days of Nautical Archaeology at Work in Three Locations:
the Bay of Fundy, Cyprus; and Turkey”
The three sites in question represent three types of merchant vessels that were excavated in the 1960s and 1970s, an early stage in the development of nautical archaeology as a scientific discipline.
In the frigid waters of Grand Manan Island in the Bay of Fundy (Canada) are 19th century sailing vessels and an early 20th century freighter.
Off the island of Kyrenia, Cyprus a 3rd century BC wreck was excavated, raised, reconstructed and a sailing replica built.
The waters off Yassi Ada, a fly-speck-sized island near the south west coast of Turkey, is the “home” to two Byzantine wrecks; the oldest dates to the 4th century AD.
The Kyrenia ship and the Yassi Ada vessel, though they sailed seven centuries apart, both carried dry cargo and wine in amphoras.
Off Grand Manan cargos that have resisted decomposition included railroad iron and scotch whiskey.
Each of these sites offered unique challenges to their excavators, and all yielded information important to our knowledge of ancient and more recent maritime history regarding trade and vessel construction methods.
____
www.dofundodomar.blogspot.com
