Archaeology Magazine - January 1973 - 72

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s

- some of it as
excavated shipwrecks
recently as 1969- is incorporated into
chapterson sailingships,techniquesand
materials of hull construction, and
ship's rig and gear, while an able discussionof the handlingand performance
of ships (Chapter 12) reflects the author's own life long familiaritywith the
sea and ships.In an appendixto a chapWith368photographs, ter on naval and maritimepersonnelthe
150infullcolor,and137drawings employmentof slaves and criminals as
galley rowers in antiquity is shown to
have been quite minimal. Casson's
personal contributionto our knowledge
of small craft (Chapter 14), and of the
fore-and-aftrigs they often carried,bulks
large. A chapter on ships' markingsand
names and another on harbors concludes an eminently useful and usable
book.
IKS
Frederick H. Van Doorninck, Jr.
PBH
Universityof California,
Davis

¡P
General Editor:GEORGEF. BASS
Museum
ofthe
University
ofPennsylvania,
University
Philadephia
"A DavyJones' lockerfulof absorbing
informationfor students and down-tothe-sea buffs, supplemented by 505
illustrations- ship drawings, maps,
diagrams and some extraordinary
photos. . . . Thirteen internationally
known marine archaeologists who
have pioneered in the use of modern
technologyand techniques in seeking
out ancient wrecks and sunken harbors of past civilizations have contributed chapters to the book. They
describe historic discoveries that
form a mosaic of the entire history of
man's seafaring exploits."
-Publishers' Weekly
- m
r
Walkerand Company,Dept.LA
I
.1 720FifthAvenue
.1
NewYork,N.Y.10019
. Pleasesend
copy(ies)of A His- tory of Seafaringbased on Underwater
@ $22.50per copy. En1 Archaeology
closed is my check or M.O. for 1
$
, includingsales tax where 1
I applicable.
I
I
I
I Name
I
I Address
1 City
StateJ
Zip

artifacts that have been recoveredfrom
such ships as those wreckedoff Mahdia
and Artemision.But is was not until the
invention of the aqualung by Cousteau
and Gagnan in 1942 that archaeology
under water could rise from the salvage
to the scientificlevel. Recognizingthe
pioneer work done by the French and
the Italians during the 1950's,Throckmorton then acknowledgesthe contributions of GeorgeBass,who since 1960
as both archaeologistand innovatorhas
sought to developtechniquesfor recording accuratelythe progressof an underwater excavation.
Although the author might be criticized for his often anecdotal presentation, skimpy notes and references,and
poor selectionof photographs,his final
chapter should be required reading for
all archaeologists.There he takes cognizance of the damage wreaked by amateur divers seekingrelics and souvenirs
from ancient shipwrecksin the Mediterranean.For twentyyearsthis destrucShipwrecks and Archaeology:
tion has gone on unchecked.What he
The Unharvested Sea
franklydescribesis not a bountifulcrop
by Peter Throckmorton, xviii, 270 awaitingharvest but a desert wasteland
pages, 24 photographs, 20 drawings, 3 reaped of its fruit. Archaeologistsand
maps, 2 appendices, selected bibliog- governmentsmust take heed to protect
raphy.Little, Brown, Boston1970 (An what little remains.
Atlantic Monthly Press Book) $6.95
Michael L. Katzev
Ever since man learned the skill of Oberlin College
sailing,his ships have carried the products of civilization.But every year numerous vesselshave ended their voyage Roman London
at the bottom of the sea. As one of the by Ralph Merrifield. x, 212 pages,63
leading figuresin a relativelynew field, text figures includingphotographs,line
Peter Throckmortonis ably qualifiedto drawings and maps. Frederick A.
write on Shipwrecksand Archaeology. Praeger, New York 1969 $9.50
His book,dividedinto two parts,deals In 1965Ralph MerrifieldpublishedThe
first with the questionof why and where Roman City of London (Benn), a largea ship comes to be a wreck, what are scale survey with a comprehensive
the natural forceswhich bring about its gazetteer of finds, essentially a studeterioration, and how these forces in dent's book. Now we have a smalleracdifferentcircumstancesact upon a vessel count for the general reader. It fits,
in the decadesfollowingits destruction. however, into a new series which will
Becauseof the broad range of Throck- give "portraits of London at significant
morton's own experiencein underwater periods of its history," and is intended
archaeology,his observationsare espe- as "a guide to those who wish to see
cially vivid on these subjects. Also in and understand the visibletraces of the
this sectionof the book, the importance Roman city and its people." Starting
of archival research in locating and with the prehistoricperiod, a scatter of
identifyingwrecks of more recent cen- rural settlementsalong the river gravels,
turies is emphasized.
London's real origins as an important
A chapter on the discoveryand sal- center lie in the crossingpoint of the
vage of the art treasures from the An- Thames which was protected by the
tikythera shipwreck begins the second Roman Army in the initial stagesof the
part of the book. Throckmorton'sde- conquest of Britain. Developing as a
tailed account of this operation (cf. trading post, it quickly became a key
also AppendixII) is especiallycompre- site in the growth of the Roman provhensive,and the thoroughnessof his in- ince. This is all clearly reasoned, and
vestigation into contemporary sources the sections on London as a port and
is laudable. He cites the other priceless the road system underline its signifi-

Archaeology Magazine - January 1973

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Archaeology Magazine - January 1973