Archaeological Discoveries on Eratosthenes Seamount

Archaeological discoveries on Eratosthenes Seamount By Shelley Wachsmann, Stella Demesticha, Irini Chryssoheri, and Katherine L. Croff Bell Eratosthenes Seamount is of particular interest to archaeologists because it lies astride the ancient sea route between Cyprus and Egypt. his blue-water pathway was well established by the 14th century BCE, when Rib-Addi, the beleaguered king of Byblos (modern Gebail in Lebanon), sent a clay tablet writen in Akkadian to the Egyptian pharaoh documenting the voyage of an Egyptian oicial named Amanmasha to Egypt “via Alashia” (Wachsmann, 1986). his text both conirms that the geographical term Alashia must refer to all or part of Cyprus and also serves as the earliest textual evidence of the Cyprus-Egypt sea route, which must have crossed Eratosthenes Seamount. Additionally, the seamount’s geographical features and the current regime in the eastern Mediterranean Sea result in a minimal sedimentation rate—vital for locating ancient shipwrecks, as sediments can bury them, making them virtually invisible to modern benthic search techniques. he expedition team documented archaeological remains, but no artifacts were raised, or even touched. We observed numerous ceramic artifacts on the sealoor, many in pristine condition, consisting primarily of amphoras (two-handled storage jars), but also cooking pots, bowls, and a lask. We date the earliest artifact tentatively to the Iron Age II, ca. 10th–6th centuries BCE (Figure 1). he majority of the solitary inds, however, span the end of the Roman and beginning of the Byzantine periods, roughly 4th–6th centuries CE. Particularly common were the long, torpedo-shaped jars typical of this period (Figure 2), which may represent cargo jetisoned by ships in distress (see Jonah 1:5; Acts 27:18). he survey revealed two fairly recent shipwrecks. Shipwreck FS131 carried a pair of iron grapnel anchors (Figure 3). he second (Shipwreck FS155) contained an admiralty anchor atached to a chain and what appears to be a heavily concreted lintlock musket (Figure 4). As anchor chain was only introduced in the early 19th century, it gives a terminus post quem (time ater which) for that wreck (Curryer, 1999). he musket also suggests a 19th century date within this context. A copper or bronze cauldron was presumably used to cook the crew’s meals. he results of the 2010 survey conirm that Eratosthenes Seamount is a prime area for future archaeological exploration. Figure 2. Byzantine amphora. Figure 1. iron Age Amphora, (ca. 8th–7th centuries BCE). Figure 3. iron grapnel anchors, Shipwreck FS131. Figure 4. Flintlock musket, Shipwreck FS155. 30 Oceanography VO L . 24, N O. 1, SUPPLE MENT | M ARCH 2011 New Frontiers in Ocean Exploration he E/V Nautilus 2010 Field Season g U E ST E d i TO R S | K AT H E R i N E L . C . B E L L A N d SAR AH A. FULLER Contents Foreword ................................................................................................................................ 1 introduction ......................................................................................................................... 3 About the Authors ........................................................................................................... 4 Location Map.............................................................................................................................................................................6 Exploration Vessel (E/V) Nautilus ...................................................................................................................................8 E/V Nautilus Vehicles .............................................................................................................................................................9 he development of Telepresence Technology for Remote Exploration and Education ............. 10 he doctors-on-Call Program: Maximizing the interpretive Power of Telepresence ..................... 11 Education and Outreach Activities Enabled by Telepresence Technology ........................................... 12 development of High-Resolution Underwater Mapping Techniques ....................................................14 Landscape imaging of the Southeast Aegean Sea .............................................................................................18 Maritime History of ANZAC Cove ..............................................................................................................................20 Exploration of the Anaximander Mud Volcanoes..............................................................................................22 Exploration of the Kolumbo Volcanic Rift Zone ................................................................................................. 24 Mapping of a debris Avalanche Ofshore Santorini Volcano ...................................................................... 26 Exploring the Nisyros Submarine Volcanic Field ................................................................................................. 27 discovery of Sinkholes and Seeps on Eratosthenes Seamount ................................................................... 28 Archaeological discoveries on Eratosthenes Seamount .................................................................................30 Potential Marine Mammal-induced Sealoor Scours on Eratosthenes Seamount ........................... 31 Exploring the Continental Margin of israel ............................................................................................................32 Maritime History of the Crimean Continental Shelf .........................................................................................34 Epilogue......................................................................................................................................................................................36 Acknowledgements .............................................................................................................................................................38 References .................................................................................................................................................................................40 PREFERREd CiTATiON Bell, K.L.C., and S.A. Fuller, eds. 2011. New Frontiers in Ocean Exploration: he E/V Nautilus 2010 Field Season. Oceanography 24(1), supplement, 40 pp.