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MA.RE.Lab collaborates with the Department of Antiquities of Cyprus. Since 2010, the Department of Antiquities has undertaken the conservation of the finds at the Mazotos Shipwreck. This collaboration was the foundation for the establishment of the first Laboratory for the Conservation of Maritime Antiquities which aims to undertake the conservation of accidental finds or regular maritime excavations.
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Cyprus University of Technology |
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MARELab has been collaborating with the Department of Civil Engineering and Geomatics at the Cyprus University of Technology (CUT) since 2010 for the documentation of the Mazotos Shipwreck. Apart from mapping the site, the aim of this project is the optimization of a methodology for the automated processing of dated obtained of underwater sites through photographs.
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MA.RE.Lab collaborated with the Department of Public Works of the Ministry of Communication and Works in the surface survey at the north-west coastal site of Pafos. The aim was to determine possible existence of antiquities in the area where underwater works were to be carried out. Moreover, the survey sought to evaluate the consequences of the interventions envisaged the Study for the Protection and Development of the N.W coastal site of Pafos.
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Xylofagou Anchorage Project
During the two field seasons (October 2011 and October 2012), surface surveys were conducted at the site from MA.RE.Lab in collaboration with the Nautical Archaeological Society of Britain. The team undertook the surface survey of an ancient anchorage which is connected with the neighboring quarry on the coast.
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Training the Next Generation
International Educational Fieldschools in Underwater Archaeology by the Nautical Archaeological Society (NAS), UK, and the Maritime Archaeological Research Laboratory (MARELab) of the University of Cyprus In 2012 the Honor Frost Foundation provided a grant to the Nautical Archaeology Society (NAS) to help establish a formal partnership between the NAS and the Archaeological Research Unit of the University of Cyprus (ARU, UCy). Following productive meetings held in September 2013 the two organisations agreed to work together under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that now guides all future collaborative projects by the partners. The core aims of the agreed MoU are to develop exchanges and co-operation in teaching and research in furtherance of the advancement and dissemination of information in underwater archaeology; and to co-operate to promote, facilitate and implement co-operation in the following programmes and activities. In 2013 the NAS and the Maritime Archaeological Research Laboratory (MARELab) of the ARU, UCy, agreed to the development of collaborative international educational fieldschools in underwater archaeology aimed at students of archaeology at the University of Cyprus, the wider community on Cyprus as well as international participants including students from the Eastern Mediterranean region. The partners also agreed to the establishment, delivery and support for the NAS Training Programme on Cyprus, embedded in the ARU, UCy, as a mechanism to learn underwater archaeology fieldwork skills; to identify opportunities for co-operation in joint research and development in the discipline of underwater archaeology; and finally for the promotion of MARELab as an Eastern Mediterranean regional training centre of excellence in underwater archaeology.
It is the belief of the partners that the activities of the Eastern Mediterranean regional training centre will build strong collaborative relationships between all parties and across geographical boundaries. The first of these fieldschools was conducted in August 2015, for students of archaeology from around the world, with scholarships being offered for students from the Eastern Mediterranean. The second fieldschool took place in 2016 and was aimed at twelve diving professionals working on Cyprus. The third fieldschool is sheduled for July 2017.
The principle aims of the underwater archaeology fieldschools are; to develop the underwater archaeological skills of students of archaeology at the University of Cyprus, the wider community on Cyprus, students of archaeology from the Eastern Mediterranean region as well as other international participants; to foster and build collaborative relationships between all participants attending fieldschools; and to encourage inclusion of professional divers on Cyprus to work together with archaeologists and share their knowledge and skills.
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The Honor Frost Foundation (HFF), UK, has recently awarded two separate grants to support maritime archaeology at the University of Cyprus. Specifically, these are:
1. A scholarship of GBP 10,000 (Honor Frost Foundation Scholarship) will be available every year for one new student in the Master's programme Field Archaeology on Land and under the Sea, who will write a dissertation on a maritime subject. This Master's programme, beginning in September 2014, is part of the University of Cyprus's strategy to introduce maritime archaeology into the curriculum of both its under- and post-graduate archaeological studies.
2. A grant of EU 26,360 has been allocated to support the new underwater archaeological investigation of a medieval shipwreck at Nissia, Paralimni, Cyprus, conducted by the Maritime Archaeological Research Lab (MARELab), under the direction of Dr Stella Demesticha. At the site, remains of a wooden ship of considerable size have been exposed for decades to natural disintegration and looting. The aim of this preliminary investigation by MARELab, in collaboration with the Department of Antiquities of Cyprus, is to make an archaeological assessment and to document the wreck site, so that the proper protection and management actions may be planned.
Both these HFF grants contribute significantly to the advancement of education and research at the University of Cyprus. Additionally and of utmost importance are the synergies of these programmes with relevant activities that aim to enhance the study of maritime archaeology, a domain newly introduced in Cyprus. Thus the integrated work on the Nissia Shipwreck, an underwater archaeological site under threat, is a unique opportunity for the conservators of the Department of Antiquities and the researchers of the MARELab to collaborate in the development of good management practices, essential for several underwater sites on the island. These practices concern laboratory based conservation methods of wooden finds, techniques of in situ preservation and public awareness activities.
The Honor Frost Foundation was founded in 2011. Its mission is to promote the advancement and research of maritime archaeology, with particular focus on the eastern Mediterranean. This was the wish of Honor Frost, a pioneer of underwater archaeology, who left the bulk of her estate to establish the Foundation after her death. Since 2013, when the HFF initiated its grant awards, three more proposals have been approved for projects that involved the University of Cyprus: (i) digital documentation of the Mazotos Shipwreck excavation (MARELab); (ii) Support of Anna Demetriou's PhD research on 'Management of Ancient Shipwrecks in the Mediterranean: the case of Cyprus'; (iii) 'Training the next generation' — Cyprus Underwater Archaeology Filed schools, 2015-2019 (Nautical Archaeological Society, MARELab).
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Since 2015, MARELab collaborates with the Maritime Archaeology Trust on the project "Maritime Archaeology Outreach Bus (MOB): Cyprus", funded by the Honor Frost Foundation. The project involves the design and mounting of the exhibition of the Maritime Οutreach Βus, which will focus on the maritime cultural heritage of the island. The exhibition will be presented at schools and public places in all the districts of Cyprus during May-June 2017. |
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