A Almadraba Atuneira e Tesouro Algarvio

O Cineclube de Tavira e o Projeto Rio apresentam os documentários A Almadraba Atuneira e Tesouro Algarvio.

Realizado por António Campos em 1961, A Almadraba Atuneira tem como protagonistas os pescadores da Ilha de Abóbora, em Cabanas de Tavira.

Um rio que atravessa a cidade e uma quantidade invulgar de igrejas. Era assim que Tavira era conhecida pelos realizadores. Depois, o Turismo descobriu Tavira e nada ficou como dantes. Os cineastas descobriram temas até então escondidos do resto do país e, a partir de então, não há filmagem documental que tenha passado por Tavira até ao final da década de ‘60 que tenha deixado escapar o registo, por mais breve que fosse, da almadraba atuneira.

Neste registo, António Campos retrata esta atividade desaparecida. Um grande documentário, um único testemunho etnográfico do que se passava na Ilha da Abóbora, em Cabanas, realizado no último ano em que ali houve pesca do atum.

Em complemento é exibido também Tesouro Algarvio, um documento de 35 minutos sobre a vida na serra.

As tradições da serra do e mar, em exibição numa sessão especial, sexta-feira, às 21h30, no Cineteatro António Pinheiro em Tavira.

Fonte: http://www.rua.pt/ai1ec_event/a-almadraba-atuneira-e-tesouro-algarvio-cineclube-de-tavira/?instance_id=

PSAI Divers Explore Ancient Underwater City in China Exploration of Lion City

PSAI divers from China made an exploration dive trip to QianDao Lake, which is in ZheJiang Province of China. There they explored the ancient city called Lion city. The temperature on land is around 3 to 5 centigrade, so dry suit is a must. The underwater visibility was around 3 to 5 meters. The depth range was from 25 to 28m. QianDao Lake is quite quiet and beautiful in winter. The blue sky and lake water contrast with the yellow landscape. It is a good place when you want to escape from the loud city life.

Para ver mais fotografias e informação: http://www.psai.com/psai-news/psai-china-news/385-psai-divers-explore-ancient-underwater-city-in-china.html

Two Roman wrecks found more than a kilometre deep off western Greece

ATHENS, GREECE — Two Roman-era shipwrecks have been found in deep water off a western Greek island, challenging the conventional theory that ancient shipmasters stuck to coastal routes rather than risking the open sea, an official said Tuesday.

Greece’s culture ministry said the two third-century wrecks were discovered earlier this month during a survey of an area where a Greek-Italian gas pipeline is to be sunk. They lay between 1.2 and 1.4 kilometres deep in the sea between Corfu and Italy.

That would place them among the deepest known ancient wrecks in the Mediterranean, apart from remains found in 1999 of an older vessel some 3 kilometres deep off Cyprus.

Angeliki Simossi, head of Greece’s underwater antiquities department, said sunken ancient ships are generally found 30-40 metres (100-130 feet) deep.

Most scholars believe that ancient traders were unwilling to veer far offshore, unlike warships which were unburdened by ballast and cargo.

“There are many Roman shipwrecks, but these are in deep waters. They were not sailing close to the coast,” Simossi said.

“The conventional theory was that, as these were small vessels up to 25 metres (80 feet) long, they did not have the capacity to navigate far from the coast, so that if there was a wreck they would be close enough to the coast to save the crew,” she said.

U.S. archaeologist Brendan Foley, who was not involved in the project, said a series of ancient wrecks located far from land over the past 15 years has forced experts to reconsider the coast-hugging theory.

Para continuar a ler: http://www.guelphmercury.com/news/world/article/733488--officials-two-roman-wrecks-found-more-than-a-kilometre-deep-off-western-greece?goback=%2Egde_815227_member_119708394

Governo e Universidade promovem segunda edição do “Conhecer o Mar dos Açores”

O “Conhecer o Mar dos Açores II” irá decorrer nos dias 9 e 10 de Julho na Biblioteca Pública e Arquivo Regional João José da Graça, na Horta.

Depois da primeira edição do “Conhecer o Mar dos Açores”, encontro aberto e formal entre a administração regional e os cientistas dos Açores, o Governo Regional, através das Secretarias Regionais da Ciência, Tecnologia e Equipamentos e do Ambiente e Mar, e a Pró-reitoria da Universidade dos Açores para a Integração dos Assuntos do Mar, convidam a comunidade científica para a segunda edição. 

Com este evento tenta-se criar momentos de comunicação aberta e inclusiva entre a ciência produzida nos Açores e a administração regional e, ao mesmo tempo, fortalecer as redes de investigação regional, reforçando os laços entre os cientistas que operam nos Açores. Este ano, estes objetivos assumem particular importância tendo em conta a fase de elaboração do Plano de Ordenamento do Espaço Marítimo dos Açores e a implementação da Diretiva-Quadro “Estratégia Marinha”.

Os investigadores devem comunicar o eventual interesse em participar no referido encontro com uma comunicação, indicando o título provisório da mesma. Tal como na primeira edição, cada orador terá direito a 10 minutos de apresentação em plenário e participação livre nos momentos de discussão alargada. 

O envio da resposta deve ser feito para o email maracores2012@azores.gov.pt até ao dia 08 de Junho próximo. Informações detalhadas sobre a organização das apresentações e o programa serão comunicadas no seguimento das respostas. Os investigadores que necessitarem de apoio para viagem e estadia deverão indicá-lo.

http://ww1.rtp.pt/acores/index.php?article=27210&visual=3&layout=10&tm=10

Conferência: "O espólio da fragata Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes"

Uma das mais recentes noticias relativas a protecção do património histórico é a recuperação por parte de Espanha do tesouro da fragata Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes apreendido à empresa Odyssey. Carmen Marcos é a investigadora que desde o inicio foi a conservadora das moedas recuperada.

Lugar: Salão do Museo de Albacete. Parque Abelardo Sánchez, s/n
Fecha: 5 de Junho de 2012
Hora: 20 h

http://www.patrimoniohistoricoclm.es/museo-de-albacete/actualidad/fragataexpoliomercedes/

Smuggled cargo found on ancient Roman ship

Evidence of ancient smuggling activity has emerged from a Roman shipwreck, according to Italian archaeologists who have investigated the vessel's cargo.

Dating to the third century AD, the large sunken ship wasfully recovered six months ago at a depth of 7 feet near the shore of Marausa Lido, a beach resort near Trapani. Her cargo, officially consisting of assorted jars once filled with walnuts, figs, olives, wine, oil and fish sauce, also contained many unusual tubular tiles. The unique tiles were apparently valuable enough for sailors to smuggle them from North Africa to Rome, where they sold for higher prices.

An image of the smuggled interlocking tiles found on the Roman shipwreck. Credit: Sebastiano Tusa

PHOTOS: Roman Ship Carried Live Fish Tank

"They are small terracotta tubes with one pointed end. Put one into the other, they formed interlocking, snake-like tiles. Rows of these so-called fictile tubes were used by Roman builders to relieve the weight of vaulting," Sebastiano Tusa, Sicily's Superintendent of the Sea Office, told Discovery News. Tusa will detail the wreck discovery in a forthcoming publication by the Museum of the Sea in Cesenatico, within a national meeting of underwater archaeology and naval history. Following an analysis of the jars and their contents, Tusa and colleagues concluded that the 52- by 16-foot ship was sailing from North Africa when she sank some 1,700 years ago, probably while trying to enter the local river Birgi.

In North Africa the vaulting tubes cost a quarter of what builders paid for them in Rome.

"It was a somewhat tolerated smuggling activity, used by sailors to round their poor salaries. They bought these small tubes cheaper in Africa, hid them everywhere within the ship, and then re-sold them in Rome," Tusa said. "The tiles were also frequently imported to Sicily and turn up in many places such as Syracuse, Catania, Marsala and Motya. There are good examples of them in the baths of the late Roman villa at Piazza Armerina," Sear, a leading authority on Roman architecture, told Discovery News.According to Frank Sear, professor of classical studies at the University of Melbourne, vaults featuring rows of fictile tubes were most common in North Africa from about the 2nd century AD.

NEWS: Roman Shipwreck Full of Wine Jars Found

The smuggled cargo, as well as the jars and ceramic food bowls used by the sailors, were recovered in perfectly preserved condition. The old cargo vessel was completely covered by a thick layer of clay and sea grass meadows -- a sort of natural coating which has also preserved most of the ship's wooden structure. "We have recovered more than 700 wooden pieces. Both the left and the right side of the hull has remained almost intact. Once reassembled, this will be the most complete Roman ship ever found," Tusa said Now under restoration at a specialized lab in Salerno, the vessel is expected to be displayed in a local museum within two years.

http://news.discovery.com/history/roman-shipwreck-smuggling-120425.html

Chinese archaeologists to begin excavation in Kenya

The second round of the historical underwater ship excavation in a $3.6 million partnership project in the Coastal region of Kenya is set to commence in November with the arrival of Chinese archaeologists in the country.

A 13-member delegation has been in the country since last month to conduct surveillance over the expected archaeological sites in Mombasa and Malindi-Mambrui/Ngomeni area, according to the National Museums of Kenya (NMK) Assistant Director of Coastal region Athman Hussein.

Hussein told journalists here on Tuesday that a team of 80 people will be around to ensure the historical event is filmed and transmitted to the whole world as a way to help market Kenya as an underwater cultural heritage hub.

The Mambrui wreck, according to Athman, is a local ship believed to be between 150-200 years old, while the Mombasa channel has two wreckages, both assumed to have been ships from the Portuguese which sunk in the 17th century and are near Fort Jesus.

“The ship had begun being excavated in the 1980s but due to shortage of funds, the process was stopped, but now it’s back, with the assistance of the Chinese,” Athman added.

“This time however, we shall not excavate in Lamu due to the fact that by that time, the tides will be high and thus the sea will be rough,” he said.

The recent delegation was led by Ao Jie from the department of underwater archaeology of China’s national museum.

In the first excavation in Lamu and Malindi, the archaeologists discovered important artefacts including porcelain and shillings, which helped explain the rich history that exists between Kenya and China.

“The coastline of Kenya has a lot of shipwrecks and if we continue with this partnership, we shall be able to discover lots of issues,” Athman added.

The project is a joint venture under the agreement signed between Kenya and China. In the agreement, it was agreed that China assists in excavation of underwater archaeological sites, including Chinese wreck, and also support in terms of training, the Kenyan archaeologists, cooperation of terrestrial archaeologists between university of Pekin and NMK, among others.

The November project is set to run for two and a half months before completion.

Fonte: http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/2012/05/chinese-archaeologists-to-begin-excavation-in-kenya/