Geology of Ancient Mediterranean Harbors – Studying Sediments for Clues to the Past

February 18, 2010 rockman Geoarchaeology Comments Off on Geology of Ancient Mediterranean Harbors – Studying Sediments for Clues to the Past
Figure from Coastal and Ancient Harbour Archaeology

Figure from Coastal and Ancient Harbour Archaeology Geoarchaeology is a fascinating application of geologic tools and disciplines, and I came across a post on the Through the Sandglass blog about a Geology Today article on “Coastal and ancient harbour archaeology”. In a quote from the article:

It has effectively been demonstrated that ancient harbours constitute outstanding archives of both the cultural and environmental pasts.

One example of the application of this scientific field is by looking at sediment gradation and number of ostracod (microscopic crustaceans) assemblages per 10g of sand in core samples. The resulting data can help reconstruct the history of the port.

Related Articles

Geoarchaeology

World War II Prisoners Tunnels Discovered with GPR

September 13, 2007 rockman Geoarchaeology Comments Off on World War II Prisoners Tunnels Discovered with GPR

Remember the 1963 movie "The Great Escape" starring Steve McQueen, James Gardner, and Charles Bronson about Allied prisoners planning a mass escape from a German POW Camp? Ok, me neither, but in the movie, the prisoners dug 3 tunnels to escape from the German POW camp Stalag Luft III in Zagan (formerly in East Germany, now in Poland). A recent archeology study used ground penetrading radar or GPR to uncover not 3 but over 100 different tunnels. Read more…

[…]

Geoarchaeology

Drilling to Save Aswan Obelisk Quarry

December 3, 2007 rockman Geoarchaeology Comments Off on Drilling to Save Aswan Obelisk Quarry

The Ancient Egyptians are still marveled at today for some of their enduring hard-rock creations. Of course everyone thinks of the Sphinx and the Great Pyramids, but perhaps just as impressive if not more impressive were the gigantic obelisks that were quarried and somehow transported into place. There is work underway to preserve a rare archaeological site, a granite quarry with a large unfinished obelisk near Aswan.

Archaeological evidence combined with some shallow seismic refraction surveys and bore holes confirm the finding of a canal believed to have been used to transport these obelisks to the Nile River during flooding. However, dewatering will be needed to excavate these canals to verify these claims. Another problem is the salt deposits that are slowly destroying the quarry. National Driller Magazine is the location of this interesting article. Link after the break.  (Photo by Son of Groucho)

[…]