Brock University professor anxious to dive on Iron Age shipwreck

The Standard (St. Catharine's Ontario) ^ | Saturday, December 29, 2007 | Samantha Craggs

[SunkenCiv]

The last time anyone touched the artifacts Elizabeth Greene is after, Rome was a new empire and climate change had just pushed the Scandinavians into Europe... The unexplored wreck sank between 700 and 450 BC. For Greene, who has assisted in a handful of shipwreck dives, it will also be the first in which she takes the lead... A trade hub in ancient times for Greece and Turkey, the Mediterranean has thousands of ancient shipwrecks, "more than we'll ever be able to excavate," Greene said. They are so old that most of the actual ships are gone, eaten by underwater creatures or dissolved after thousands of years. But the remaining cargo provides an unhindered glimpse of how goods were transported then. It answers important questions about trade and economy before money existed, she said. Greene's wreck consists mainly of ceramics from the Turkish coast, Greek mainland, Cyprus or the coast of Syria, she said... Greene's greatest challenge with the new wreck is funding. Last month, the Canadian Foundation for Innovation announced $81,514 for her project... Ancient Mediterranean wrecks are often found through accounts from divers, she said. Professional sponge divers have been extensively interviewed by the Institute of Nautical Archaeology and the accounts often overlap. Artifacts brought up from shipwrecks remain the property of Turkey.

[SunkenCiv]