Mission Report 2006

In April the topographical work continued at the northeast part of Heracleion as only one percent of the excavation site had been explored and the magnetic survey showed some abnormalities in this area. New canals were identified. Those waterways, now hidden unter 150 cm of sand, linked the ports of the city with the Canopic branch of the Nile river in the past. Antique anchors were discovered together with ritualistic instruments, most probably deposited in those canals as presents to the gods. Some artifiacts, such as the gold bird-amuet, are outstanding. It is interesting to note that no artifacts dating from the 4th century BC were discovered. They may have silted up very early after beeing deposited. The canals located to the south, which were found during the past year's mission, must have replaced the recently-discovered ones.

Six more ancient shipwrecks have been uncovered in the port of Heracleion-Thonis. We have thus found as many as 24 wrecks on this fabulous site. According to the carbon-14 dating method, the older wrecks date back to the 6-5th century BC. The wood samples from the "novices" will soon be analyzed for dating. We now know much more about the city's layout. Some intriguing, large limestone constructions have been located under 150 cm of sand in the area of the northeast channels. The excavation of these is a target for next year. Most artifacts retrieved from the past missions are now fully restored. This work, conducted by an interdisciplinary team, took a full year.

In spring we will embark on a new mission in Egypt, where the research in the old port of Alexandria and the bay of Abukir will continue. Furthermore, a new publication on the expeditions in Egypt has been released by the Oxford Centre for Maritime Archaeology in January 2007: Underwater Archaeology in the Canopic Region in Egypt - The Topography and Excavation of Heracleion-Thonis and East Canopus (1996-2006) gives detailed information on our activities in this region during the last 10 years.