Diggers uncover ancient ship

In bringing home their discoveries to the University Museum, three archaeological researchers presented "Reports from the Field" to a packed Rainey Auditorium last night. Penn Archaeology Professors Fredrik Hiebert and Naomi Miller and New York University Professor David O'Connor offered brief descriptions of their recent findings in the Middle East. According to Hiebert, the purpose of his project was to investigate an ancient trade route that directly crossed the Black Sea, with points in Turkey and Crimea. He added that Penn's long history of research in Turkey allowed him to work in this usually off-limits area. The research started on land, later moving into the water. "The project is comparative," he said. "We worked [with similar techniques] on the land and in the water." Hiebert said that this was the most interesting part of his research, since it was the first time that the comparative approach had been used. He titled the most exciting discovery of this project "Shipwreck D". The intact shipwreck was a Byzantine vessel built more than 1,500 years ago. Miller, a research scientist, presented her work from Midas Mound in Gordion, Turkey. She spoke about the benefits of protecting ancient lands, saying that researchers can use information about the ecology of an area to help understand more about its ancient inhabitants. Adding that "major erosion" had occurred in Turkey, she said this seriously affected the country's vegetation. To prevent erosion during her research, Miller and her colleagues constructed a fence to protect plants and planted mud bricks in erosion channels to absorb water. She reported that only one year later, plants were flourishing at Midas Mound. Miller added that more people will visit an area with beautiful vegetation. "I just think plants are pretty," she said. O'Connor, the Lila Acheson Wallace Professor of Egyptian Art and Archaeology at NYU, focused on his discoveries of some of the oldest ships in the world. He discussed finding boats buried in the tombs of the earliest Egyptian kings. O'Connor said these boats, which could hold around 30 men, are the world's oldest ships. Noting that his team has only so far worked with the most poorly preserved boat, he said that he is still in the early stages of his investigation. "In 2002, we hope to work on the best-preserved ship," O'Connor said. A reception in the Lower Egyptian Gallery followed the event.