23 - 08 - 2001.  SOA 

This morning was devoted to completing the filming and photo-modeling of the two stone carriers. Before the dive, Tufan summoned the SOA team for a final briefing in which the role of divers in the 'imaging' process was explained, i.e. whatever you happen to be doing on the site, be sure to look good at all times. Such advice was hardly necessary for divers such as Gokhan Bey, who was clearly born to wear tight black rubber and reflective sunglasses; indeed, for most of us coolness can hardly be avoided. However, it became clear that Tufan had carefully staged the meeting purely as a pretext for telling Bridget that the bright yellow beanie she has worn for the past two years does in fact look extremely stupid.

We will explain more about how our photo-modeling process is used to make 3-D computer maps at another time, but for now we can say that we are very happy with the results from our two stone carriers. These well defined sites preserve important information about the configuration of the original cargoes, which the 3-D maps will help us to reconstruct - and perhaps even tell us something about the design of the ships themselves. 

The next shipwreck site we worked on today is not so pretty. At sometime during the 7th century AD, a Byzantine ship hit the rocks of our cape and literally shattered, spilling its cargo of amphoras down the cliffs from 25 to 40m deep. Over time most of the complete amphoras have been looted, and the broken remains call to mind the aftermath of a Metallica concert. Photo-modeling would be a pretty pointless exercise here, so we are considering other ways in which the site might be recorded. There are a number of different amphora types, several anchors, and smaller artifacts that will need to be carefully sketched, measured, and photographed. But first - tomorrow is our day to travel into town and pick up supplies, and that means that tonight is party night! And party night means... alcohol!

To be precise, archaeological research about alcohol. We discussed previously the role of amphora carriers in transporting liquid cargo, especially wine. The ancients seldom drank wine straight, but watered it down. The people of ancient Myndos (modern Gumushluk in southwest Turkey) are today regarded as somewhat unusual for cutting their wine with sea water, producing a drink that was famous both for easing the bowels and causing flatulence. However, a comment in the Roman writer Pliny the Elder about the wine of Clazomenae (which is very near to our cape, and may indeed have been the source of some the goods on our shipwrecks) suggests that it was not unusual - at least in Asia Minor - to dilute wine with seawater ("nunc gratia ante omnia est Clazomenio, postquam parcius mari conduit" - now the best is (the wine) of Clazomenae, since they have begun to flavor it more sparingly with the sea; NH 14.73). Tonight is party night. We have wine, and sea - and a film crew from TRT is here to record the results. Stay tuned...