Maritime archaeologists to discuss ancient underwater findings during annual event

Wachsmann, as a principal investigator under the Jaffa Cultural Heritage Project aims to reconstruct the maritime past of ancient Jaffa including the movement of ships to and from the harbor called Ioppa Maritima. The project begun this year included deep-water exploration during September for shipwrecks from all periods off the coast of Jaffa using a bright yellow remotely operated vehicle. The ROV relayed images from depths of 164 to 820 feet to researchers’ computers on board a small boat. The effort uncovered the possible wreckage of a World War I warship that sank in 1917.

On Sat., Nov. 15 and Sun., Nov. 16, Wachsmann along with five other world-renowned archaeologists and principal investigators from universities around the United States will tell their stories of ancient underwater discoveries and investigations during La Sierra University’s 6^th Annual Archaeology Discovery Weekend: Ancient Maritime Archaeology. The weekend’s variety of activities will include a simulated archaeological dig for kids and parents, a daylong teachers’ workshop, interactive archaeological displays, a Bedouin hospitality tent, and Eastern Mediterranean banquet.

The lineup of speakers includes Wachsmann, professor of biblical archaeology in the Institute of Nautical Archaeology at Texas A&M University; Robert Hohlfelder, professor emeritus of ancient history at the University of Colorado, Boulder; Joseph A. Greene, deputy director and curator, Semitic Museum, Harvard University; Stuart Swiny, associate anthropology professor, University of Albany, the State University of New York; Helena Wylde Swiny, research associate, Semitic Museum, Harvard University; and William Dever, professor emeritus, Near Eastern studies, University of Arizona.

Wachsmann will lead the weekend’s activities with a discussion on Nov. 15 at 3 p.m. of the Galilee boat, sometimes called the ‘Jesus’ boat and a widely publicized archaeological find. The intact, 2,000-year-old, 26-foot-long boat was discovered in 1986 buried in the mud of the Sea of Galilee after a severe drought caused the freshwater lake also known as the Kinneret to significantly recede. “I will talk about the adventure story – discovery and excavation – and the detective story – dating, identification and meaning of the boat,” Wachsmann said.

On Nov. 16 he will give an account of carrying out the new Jaffa project in Israel while the region’s conflict with Gaza raged. The first of the two-pronged project involved a survey of the possible ancient harbor site of Jaffa which resides within greater Tel Aviv. The team collected eight geological cores that went down in some instances to a depth of 36 feet. However, the war in the region caused Wachsmann to cancel student participation for that leg of the project.

“During the land survey we had a terrorist rocket shot down with Iron Dome [Israeli anti-missile system] almost overhead,” Wachsmann said.

The weekend’s lecture lineup will provide insight into a variety of maritime archaeological adventures and topics including the Caesarea Maritima harbor, ancient seafaring on the Dead Sea, the Late Bronze Age Uluburn shipwreck off the coast of southwestern Turkey, the 4^th century B.C. Kyrenia ship, maritime migrations of the Mediterranean sea peoples, and the ports of ancient Carthage. A National Geographic film on the Iron Age deep-water shipwrecks of Ashkelon, Israel will also be shown.

The teachers’ workshop will be held 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Nov. 16 and will provide teachers with innovative ways of engaging their students in history through the lens of maritime archaeology. Ellen Bedell, an archaeologist and history teacher at The Ellis School in Pittsburgh, Penn. will present the workshop. She has developed a simulated archaeological dig and two online archaeology projects for classroom use.

Events will be held at La Sierra’s Center for Near Eastern Archaeology and the Troesh Conference Center of the Zapara School of Business. Weekend event admission is free. Kids’ and parents’ dig is $5, the teachers’ workshop is $25, and the Eastern Mediterranean banquet is $50. For further information call 951-785-2632, email archaeology@lasierra.edu, or visit lasierra.edu/archaeology. Access an event poster at www.lasierra.edu/cnea/discovery-weekend. Lectures will be live streamed at www.lasierra.edu/watchlive.

Archaeology Discovery Weekend is co-sponsored by the Archaeological Institute of America Orange County and Riverside societies, the Biblical Archaeological Society-Los Angeles, the American Schools of Oriental Research-Boston, the American Center of Oriental Research-Amman, the California Museum of Ancient Art, the Green Olive Grill, the Western Science Center, and the H.M.S. Richards Divinity School and Tom and Vi Zapara School of Business of La Sierra University.