Plans are being made to excavate a shipwreck in the Patuxent River that archaeologists think could be the USS Scorpion, built in 1814 as the flagship of the Chesapeake Bay Flotilla, and scuttled by the Navy to keep it out of British hands. A hurricane that occurred in August of 1814 covered the ship with protective sediment. In anticipation of recovering well-preserved artifacts, a cofferdam will be built around the wreck in order to drain off the water and create a dry archaeological site. “In a lot of shipwrecks, you’ll find the wood has been destroyed by marine organisms. And in more saltwater environments, you may only have the very bottom of the hull preserved. But this is a time capsule … when we pulled out a pair of surgical scissors last year, they were pristine, and still looked sharp,” said Bob Neyland, a Navy underwater archaeologist.

A third-century A.D. shipwreck discovered in shallow water off the west coast of Sicily was carrying a cargo of walnuts, figs, olives, wine oil, and fish sauce from North Africa to Rome when it sank. But it was also carrying small, tube-shaped terra cotta tiles  that were used by Roman builders in vaulted ceilings. “It was a somewhat tolerated smuggling activity, used by sailors to round their poor salaries. They bought these small tubes cheaper in Africa, hid them everywhere within the ship, and then re-sold them in Rome,” said Sebastiano Tusa, Sicily’s Superintendent of the Sea Office.

In the Messinia region of Greece, archaeologists have found a small temple that had been demolished, and a newer one built on top of it, opposite the temple of Epicurean Apollo. Architectural tools, a bronze figurine, and sharp spears were uncovered. “That enables us to conclude that the temple was dedicated to a divine entity of war,” said Xeni Arapogianni of the 38^thEphorate of Antiquities. He thinks the small temple may have been constructed in the sixth century B.C. by the Spartans, when they conquered Messinia.

The newly restored Hathor temple on the Egyptian island of Philae will reopen next month. Its deteriorated stone blocks have been replaced, and its walls have been raised. The temple, which faces the Nile River, is decorated with reliefs and was built by Ptolemy VI.

This entry was posted by Jessica E. Saraceni on Thursday, April 26, 2012. Discussion of this blog entry is now closed.

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