Dive & Dig

Apologies to our listeners for the technical error in the first release of this episode! Professor Lucy Blue speaks with maritime archaeologists and editors Dr Claire Calcagno and Dr Elena Flavia Castagnino Berlinghieri about discovering and bringing to life Honor Frost’s unpublished book manuscript entitled, The Second Life of a Phoenix: Portrait of a Punic Ship Resurrected in a Sicilian Town. One of the defining projects of Honor Frost’s career, the Marsala ship, dated to the mid-3rd century BCE, is exceptionally important because its preserved hull provides direct evidence for ancient Punic shipbuilding. Frost believed it was a military longship, possibly lost in the aftermath of the First Punic War fought between the Carthaginians and Romans.  But what makes Phoenix particularly valuable is that Frost tells this story from inside the project, rather than as a conventional archaeological report, revealing a much stronger sense of Frost as a person: determined, curious, and highly practical, as she and her team struggled to excavate, record, and display the unique vessel while working with the local community.  Frost's Sicilian memoir captures an important moment when maritime archaeology was itself being developed, as Honor was not just applying established methods, she was working out how the discipline should go forward.The English-language edition will be released November 1 2026, through Sidestone Press. The Italian-language edition is anticipated in late November 2026. For more information on both publications, please visit the Sidestone website: https://www.sidestone.com/books/the-second-life-of-a-phoenix

Professor Lucy Blue speaks to Professor Corine Yazbeck about the rescue excavation of Tabarja Wata Slam located on the coast north of Beirut. It’s one of Lebanon’s most significant archaeological sites, preserving evidence of human occupation stretching back 10,000 years to the Pre-pottery Neolithic, making it one of the earliest known farming and fishing communities on the eastern Mediterranean coast. Excavations have uncovered Neolithic houses, fishing equipment, masses of stone tools, figurines and burial areas with carefully arranged human remains. Animal remains, including pig and goat, suggest the site may have been a centre for the early domestication. The maritime activity of the site is revealed through the archaeological remains, including fish bones, weights for fish nets and stone anchors, highlighting the site’s close relationship with the sea and its importance for understanding the origins of coastal communities.

Professor Lucy Blue speaks with Otto Uldum, Maritime Archaeologist and curator at the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde, Denmark about the remarkable discovery of a medieval cog found in 2021 in 14 metres of water in the Øresund Strait near Copenhagen. Dendrochronological analysis of the sapwood date the vessel to the early fifteenth century and confirmed that it was built in the Netherlands, while some of the planking timber originated from Pomerania in present-day Poland, revealing the far-reaching timber trade networks of the period.The ship displays distinctive cog shipbuilding techniques, including scarf joints, clinker planking, clench nailing, and square-section iron nails, all of which created a hull that was both light and exceptionally strong. Unlike many other vessels, cogs were characterised by a broad flat-bottomed midship section that enabled them to carry cargoes of up to 300 tons. Named Svælget 2, the vessel measures 28 metres in length and is among the largest and best-preserved medieval cog ever discovered. Every surviving timber has now been raised and laser-scanned, and once conservation is complete the ship will be reassembled alongside its extensive rigging assemblage, including a rare complete set of deadeyes with surviving rope fragments. Many questions, however, remain unanswered. The nature of its cargo is still unknown, and the circumstances of its loss remain elusive. Could Svælget 2 represent the last gasp of cog usage within the trading networks of the Hanseatic League?    

Professor Lucy Blue takes us to China to discuss the recovery and investigation of the Yangtze River Estuary No. 2 shipwreck, discovered in 2015 by the Shanghai Museum archaeologists with the help of the local fisherman.  Dr Xiaolin Ma and Dr  Prof. Zhanghua Wang from East China Normal University, Shanghai talk about their roles in understanding the life history of the ship. Buried for over 150 years beneath fine sediment in around 10 metres of water at the mouth of the Yangtze River, this 38-metre vessel is the largest and best-preserved ancient wooden shipwreck discovered in China. The wreck was lifted inside a container (48 meters long, 19 meters wide, and 9 meters tall) with surrounding sediments and is now being carefully excavated in Shanghai’s disused shipyard. Scientific analysis has revealed remarkable details of its cargo and is on going. Using methods, including sedimentary environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis that identifies the genetic material of all organisms from sediments sealed inside the pottery jars, researchers were able to reveal insights into the nature and origin of elements of the cargo no longer visible in the archaeological record. Excavation continues in Shanghai, as plans are underway to create a museum to house the Qing Dynasty ship and its finds.The project would like to acknowledge Mr Yang Zhai from Shanghai Cultural Heritage Conservation and Research Centre, who provided chances for studying the sedimentary DNA of a shipwreck; Dr Shaoqing Wen from Fudan University, who provided ultra-clean laboratory and equipment for eDNA analysis and helped with the analysis. They also would like to thank Haixia Wen and Xin Wei from East China Normal University and Zhihang Ma from Fudan University who measured the environmental parameters and performed data processing. 

Renowned French maritime archaeologist Franck Goddio joins Professor Lucy Blue to discuss his latest discovery in the eastern harbour of Alexandria, Egypt. Working with his team of the European Institute for Underwater Archaeology (IEASM) in collaboration with the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, Goddio reveals the uncovering of a 1st-century AD pleasure barge, known as a thalamegos. A bathymetric sub-bottom profiler survey detected a long anomaly and careful excavation through the sediment revealed the vessel’s planking, keel, and structural elements. Measuring over 30 metres long, this flat-bottomed boat was located in the small royal harbour off the island of Antirhodos. Limited finds and graffiti inscribed above the keel, helped date the vessel. These clues, combined with the writings of the Greek geographer Strabo, who described Alexandria during the Roman period, offer insights into the luxurious activities that may have taken place on board.  An alternative hypothesis links the barge to the Temple of Isis, originally situated near the palace of Cleopatra VII, raising the intriguing possibility that it was used in Isiac ceremonial processions. As Goddio explains, it is hardly surprising that the harbours of Alexandria continue to yield extraordinary discoveries, as after all, this was once the very centre of the ancient world.Follow along with this work on this website: www.franckgoddio.org

Dr. Stella Demesticha, Associate Professor of Maritime Archaeological Research at the University of Cyprus, joins Professor Lucy Blue to discuss a remarkable Ottoman-period shipwreck located off Cyprus’ east coast. Excavated over three seasons by the Maritime Archaeological Research Laboratory of the University of Cyprus in collaboration with the Cyprus Department of Antiquities, the wreck identified as the Nissia, is a post-medieval vessel likely dating to the 18th–19th century AD.Measuring over 30 metres in length, the wreck represents a significant addition to our understanding of Cyprus’ maritime history during the Ottoman era. Although no definitive cargo has yet been recovered, intriguing material clues are emerging. Timber analysis reveals that its oak planks originate from northern Europe, suggesting a possible Dutch connection. Four cannons have also been recorded on the site, though evidence of looting raises the possibility that additional armaments were once present.Other finds include Ottoman smoking pipes, bricks, and bundles of pointed wooden logs believed to be firewood, offering valuable insight into life on board. As on-going research and scientific analysis continue, archaeologists anticipate that further discoveries will clarify the identity, origins, and final voyage of this vessel.The project wishes to thank:The Honor Frost Foundation THETIDAThe University of Cyprus: Department of History and ArchaeologyThe University of Cyprus: Archaeology Research UnitMARELab (Maritime Archaeology Research Laboratory) 

Professor of Solid Mechanics Dr Jukka Tuhkuri, from Aalto University’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, joins Professor Lucy Blue to uncover the real story behind Ernest Shackleton’s legendary ship, Endurance. While on board the Endurance22 Expedition vessel searching for the wreck, Dr Tuhkuri was collecting ice cores for his own research when he became intrigued by the theories around the crushing of the ship by ice.  Studying the original ship’s plans, archival material, and applying his cutting-edge ice mechanics research, Dr Tuhkuri reveals surprising new insights into the ship’s design weaknesses, flaws Shackleton himself recognised, yet believed were worth the risk. The discussion explores how the ship’s structure, the ice conditions in the Weddell Sea, and the loss of the rudder combined to seal its fate on 21 November 1915.

One of the most remarkable maritime sites off the coast of Egypt is revealing monumental sculptures of extraordinary scale—some towering up to 20 metres, including a single hand measuring 40 centimetres across. Professor Lucy Blue speaks with Dr Mohamed Abdel-Maguid, senior archaeologist at the Underwater Antiquities Department of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, about the secrets of western Abu Qir Bay, located 30 kilometres east of Alexandria and west of the drowned ancient city and ports of Thonis-Heracleion. Once a military base, the area first came to light in the 1930s when Prince Omar Toussoun and the director of the Graeco-Roman Museum enlisted the help of local divers. Today, as modern development threatens the site, Mohamed and his team of eight divers are racing against the clock to document newly uncovered remains. Learn how this shallow site, dating between the 7th  BC – 5th AD is challenging the team’s surveying and recovering skills.  Yet each colossal granite statue, block, and smaller remains they record adds to the story of this once-thriving port and temple complex. Their work sheds new light on Egypt’s maritime past and highlights how the country is safeguarding its unique sunken heritage.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is solving complex problems across a host of disciplines, here Professor Lucy Blue asks Dr Alexandra Karamitrou, Lecturer in Archaeology and AI, University of Southampton to outline its use in maritime archaeology. Alexandra explains how AI models can analyse multiple datasets, such as geophysical data and satellite imagery to identify potential shipwreck locations by recognising patterns associated with submerged features.  Applications are many, including processing imagery to identify Crannogs, WWI and WWII wrecks, and offshore structures like oil rigs  – crucial for the protection of the ocean environment as leakages of harmful substances can occur from ageing wrecks and rigs. Hear Alexandra’s views on how to ethically use AI and produce a more holistic picture of what our oceans comprise.  Can you believe there are three million shipwrecks to be identified and recorded?

At the 6th Maritime Archaeology Graduate Symposium (MAGS) held in Ioannina, Greece, Professor Lucy Blue spoke with Radomír Tichý from the University of Hradec Králové, Max Šámal (Charles University of Prague) and Aleš Panáček (Archaeopark Všestary) about a series of expeditions called “Monoxylon”. Hear how a team of Czech experimental archaeologists successfully reconstructed and navigated a replica of an 8,000-year-old Neolithic logboat discovered with five other boats at La Marmotta, a submerged lakeshore settlement beneath Lake Bracciano near Rome. Based on the largest, made from an oak trunk measuring over 10 metres in length, it featured transverse reinforcements for hull stability.  Additional objects discovered suggest the use of sails and the presence of obsidian tools from Milos, support the idea that these boats facilitated long distance trade and travel.  The series of expeditions tested the seaworthiness of these ancient designs. Monoxylon IV was paddled by twenty-one crewmembers over 500 kilometres across the Aegean from the island of Samos to the Peloponnese demonstrating that Neolithic communities possessed not only the craftsmanship to fashion such sophisticated vessels, but also the navigational skills to undertake such maritime journeys. The voyages provided practical insights into early human migration, trade routes, and the spread of agricultural practices across the Mediterranean with a profound human story at the heart.  For more information on this project visit the website (https://www.monoxylon.cz/en/), watch the teaser trailer for the upcoming documentary movie (https://youtu.be/6FkAuzf759U?feature=shared) and visit the project YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/…524)