Underwater Discoveries
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News Archive
July - December 2004
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Over the past decade or so there have been numerous discoveries about the ancient world, many of which cannot be explained by the traditional views of prehistory as interpreted by mainstream archæologists. It would be impossible to keep abreast of them all, but many have major implications for our greater understanding of the cataclysmic events of antiquity which are remembered in the stories of Atlantis, the Deucalian flood, and the flood of Noah that have been passed down from generation to generation in both oral and written traditions since time immemorial ...
Of course, there are so many ancient tales of flooded kingdoms, cataclysmic inundations and sunken lands from more or less every corner of the world, that it is difficult to avoid the basic question of whether or not they all refer to the same cataclysm, or a series of cataclysms that happened over several millennia from around 15,000 BC to around 1,500 BC? Many scientists now believe that there were a series of rapid sea-level changes which marked the abrupt end of the last Ice Age, especially at the time of Plato's original date of 9,600 BC where he placed the supposed destruction of Atlantis.
The melting ice-sheets, it is believed by 'uniformitarians', were sufficient to account for these sea-level rises, but other scientists are looking at the possibility that supermassive quantities of water-ice were rudely delivered to the Earth by a giant comet which passed close to the Earth and the Moon at the end of the Pleistocene era - again at around 11,500 years ago. This 'event' was coeval with the world's major mountain ranges - such as the Alps, the Andes, and the Himalayas - attaining their present elevations, whilst many of the world's low-lying basin areas collapsed in an abrupt series of crustal deformations caused by the gravitational effects of a celestial body in such close proximity to Earth.
Many of the world's 'deluge traditions' refer to a celestial agency as having been the cause of the global floods, as well as the major rifting of Earth's crust in numerous locations, and possibly also causing a tilt in the Earth's rotational axis which brought about the seasons and the frigid polar regions as we now know them. The mass extinctions which marked the end of the Pleistocene and the start of the present Holocene era are also dated to between 10,000 and 12,000 years ago, as are the unconsolidated jumbles of now extinct land animals, marine lifeforms, and Pleistocene flora which comprise the many types of 'drift deposits' found jammed with extreme force into caves and rock fissures worldwide.
Many species from widely differing climatic zones and habitats lie side-by-side in bits and pieces evidencing the violent nature of their common demise, and careful analysis of these suggest the cause as being not the Ice Age of the uniformitarians, but the tumultuous swirling waters of mega-tsunami. Either way, the major question which cannot any longer be reasonably avoided by serious prehistorical researchers must be:
"What more evidence of ancient civilisations, and of the sea-faring peoples of world-wide
mythology, remains to be discovered beneath the waves on the
continental shelves all around our planet?"
...
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"Nation Hurries to Salvage Undersea Cultural Relics" July 02, 2004, China.org, China: "Bending his back low and hunching his shoulders, archaeologist Zhang Wei tried four times to light a cigarette in the harsh wind sweeping the shore of the South China Sea. Since 2001 Zhang has led a team of about 12 underwater archaeologists, including one woman, to salvage relics from a millennium-old shipwreck. The site is called 'Shipwreck No 1 in the South China Sea' by Chinese authorities and dubbed the 'Titanic of China' by the media. The team has deliberately shunned the limelight, and has released little information about its work. However, speculation about its achievements have hit news headlines, since the public is curious about the wreckage of the merchant ship from the Song Dynasty (960-1279)." [Full Story]
"Artefacts believed Ming dynasty recovered July 04, 2004, Channel NewsAsia, Singapore: "Marine archaeologists have recovered thousands of artefacts believed to date back to the Ming dynasty from a 400-year-old shipwreck in Malaysian waters, local media said Sunday. More than 6,000 pieces of porcelain estimated to be worth between 700 ringgit (184 dollars) and 1,400 ringgit each were salvaged from the wreck off the eastern Terengganu state. 'Unfortunately hundreds of years of immersion destroyed most of the cargo,' Museums and Antiquities department director-general Adi Taha said. 'We believe the 21-metre vessel sank after an explosion or was blown up by a rival ship.'" [Full Story]
"Centuries-old sunken Chinese artifacts recovered July 04, 2004, The China Post, Taiwan: "Marine archaeologists have salvaged thousands of pieces of Chinese porcelain from a 17th-century Portuguese colonial merchant ship that sank after being bombarded by cannon fire in Malaysian waters, an official said Sunday. Many of the blue-and-white porcelain bowls, plates, jars and other crockery - similar to those used by ancient Chinese emperors - were in pristine condition, but the rest were badly chipped, decayed or completely in shards, Adi told The Associated Press. Adi said early estimates indicated each artifact could be worth up to 1,400 ringgit (US$350) _ but he stressed the two-month-old salvage expedition was not launched for financial profits.
'It's not a matter of dollars and cents to us,' Adi said. 'This is a rare discovery that will help us learn more about our region's heritage and history.'"
"Network of divers will help uncover Georgia's July 18, 2004, AccessNorthGeorgia/AP, USA: "Archaeologists have been digging up pottery, stone tools and other artifacts in Georgia for years, but until recently there was no coordinated effort to locate the historic treasures submerged along the coast and in rivers and streams. Georgia has joined at least eight other states, including Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina, in launching a state-funded underwater archaeology program. As the state's first official underwater archaeologist, Jason Burns is organizing a network of divers and historians to identify the state's submerged relics, including 2,000 shipwrecks. 'When you think of underwater archaeology, it's not just shipwrecks,' Burns said. 'We're interested in everything from submerged prehistoric sites, to docks, piers and wharves.'" [Full Story]
"Pre-Harappan bricks found in Gulf of Cambay" July 18, 2004, The Times of India, India: "In an underwater exploration in the Gulf of Cambay, National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) scientists discovered almost 9,500-year-old bricks made of clay and straw. Archaeological experts of the MS University who, too, are involved in a part of the exploration near Surat and the coast of Gulf of Cambay, however, feel that a further insight into the size of the bricks can confirm its age and its period. The bricks, believed to be pre-Harappan, have been identified to be of the Holocene age. In the NIOT surveys in the 17 sq km area, stone artefacts like blade scraper, perforated stones and beads were found. The bricks, according to NIOT scientists, were used for construction. It indicates that the people of that age led an advanced form of life. The artefacts found on the seabed, 20 to 40 ft below the present sea level, consisted of housing material." [Full Story]
August 2004 Edition, Discover Magazine, USA: "When 19th-century British biologist Thomas Henry Huxley first put seafloor mud under a microscope, he found tiny round and oval particles in abundance. Not knowing what they were, he dubbed them coccoliths, based on the Greek words for 'seed' and 'stone.' Only later would scientists learn that coccoliths are calcite plates that surround some species of phytoplankton like armor. Today, more than 100 years after Huxley, teams of researchers are still unraveling the role phytoplankton play in creating the air we breathe, the food we eat, the fuel we burn, even the ground we walk on." [Full Story]
August 06, 2004, BBC Science News, UK: "Scientists exploring the depths of the mid-Atlantic ridge were excited to uncover a wealth of new species, including a bright red squid. The two-month long, Norwegian-led expedition is part of the international Census of Marine Life (CoML). The 10-year census, which began in 2000, aims to record all known marine life, in an aquatic 'Doomsday Book'. The latest study used deep-sea probes to explore the undersea mountain ridge, running between Iceland and the Azores." [Full Story]
"Atlantic ridge reveals underwater wonders" August 06, 2004, New Scientist, UK: "Scientists studying the submerged peak of the mid-Atlantic ridge believe they have found several new species of fish and squid. The first extensive scientific expedition to collect specimens and analyse the depths along the ridge, the MAR-ECO study, has also revealed the first evidence of spinning plankton blooms as well as a set of mysterious oceanic tracks. The mid-Atlantic ridge is the world's tallest mountain range, which zigzags across the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean from Iceland to the Azores where the ridge rises above sea level" [Full Story]
"Controversy erupts over 'sterile' Antarctic lake" August 07, 2004, New Scientist, UK: "Controversy has erupted over Lake Vostok, one of Earth's last unexplored frontiers, which lies deep under the Antarctic ice. Last week a team of Russian and French scientists claimed the lake is sterile. But American scientists insist that it is a potential source of undiscovered life forms, and are worried that Russian plans to drill right through the ice will contaminate it. At the heart of the dispute is a small but diverse group of microbes found in the single core that has been drilled from the ice above the lake. The Russians and French say these are contaminants from the drilling and testing of samples in the labs. They also argue that the lake itself is too toxic to sustain life because of its extremely high levels of oxygen." [Full Story]
"Ireland is Plato's Atlantis, claims geographer" August 07, 2004, ABC News Online, Australia: "The mythical lost island of Atlantis was actually Ireland, according to a new theory by a Swedish scientist. The Greek philosopher, Plato, wrote in 360 BC that Atlantis was an island in the Atlantic Ocean, where an advanced civilisation developed some 11,500 years ago until it was hit by a cataclysmic natural disaster and sank beneath the waves. Geographer Ulf Erlingsson, whose book explaining his theory will be published next month, says the measurements, geography, and landscape of Atlantis as described by Plato match Ireland almost exactly." [Full Story]
"Divers tackle Mary Rose jigsaw" August 11, 2004, BBC News Online, UK: "It is an underwater jigsaw puzzle - complicated by the fact that the picture on the box bears little resemblance to reality.
Only when all the wreckage has been traced, recovered and measured will the team begin to know for sure what the pride of the Tudor king's navy looked like. When the first sign of the bow of the ship was first found last May, it was described as 'the most important maritime archaeology find in England in the last 20 years.'" [Full Story]
"Fossils Show How Whales Evolved to Hear Underwater" August 11, 2004, National Geographic News, USA: "Starting 50 million years ago, modern-looking whales began to evolve from terrestrial wolflike ancestors. Their transition to fully fledged aquatic behemoths took 15 million years. It is one of the best-recorded examples of an evolutionary transition in the fossil record.
A well-preserved series of fossils from India and Pakistan have already helped scientists understand how whales rapidly evolved limbs, teeth, kidneys, and other organs to cope with the pressures of the marine environment."
"Unknown underwater animal found in Atlantic Ocean" August 11, 2004, Pravda, Russia: "Norwegian scientists from the Bergen-based Institute of Marine Research returned from a two-month expedition to study the underwater mountain chain in the center of the Atlantic Ocean. Scientists reported the discovery of an unknown creature, which was found living at the depth of two kilometers. Researchers say it was a crawling bright-colored animal, about 30 centimeters long. The creature had a forefoot and a tail. The amazing creature was not reminiscent of any other sea animals. It was not possible to retrieve the animal from the ocean floor, although scientists managed to take pictures of it.
The unknown animal was definitely a sensation in the scientific world. Researchers, however, say there were over 80,000 rare species found during the international expedition, which united specialists from 16 countries."
August 13, 2004, EDP24, England: "A simple carved wooden figure could hold the key to an amazing new theory about the true meaning of Norfolk's Seahenge site. Scientists have carbon-dated the relic, found in the Thames Estuary in 1912, and discovered that it dates back to the same period as the older of Norfolk's two timber circles.
Archaeologists now believe instead of being composed of plain wooden posts, parts of a Bronze Age timber circle found close to the site of Seahenge could have been decorated with carvings resembling native American totem poles."
"Sea serpents, beach giants, boiling seas - August 16, 2004, US News & World Report, USA: "For the adventurers who first explored the ocean, known hazards were abundant enough. There was thirst, for one thing, along with hunger and scurvy, and hurricanes, mutinies, and shipwrecks. But before the Age of Discovery could even begin, mariners had to conquer the greatest obstacle of all: their dread of the unknown. Henry the Navigator, the 15th-century Portuguese prince who launched the era of exploration, called it 'the shadow of fear' - the assortment of groundless qualms that kept ordinary Europeans securely on shore. Medieval minds envisioned sea serpents bigger than whales, an ocean that constantly boiled, and giants on the beach ready to wade in and grab a ship with one hand. 'I marvel,' Henry complained, 'at the imaginings that have possessed you all.'" [Full Story]
"Ancient Rome's fish pens confirm sea-level fears" August 16, 2004, New Scientist, UK: "Coastal fish pens built by the Romans have unexpectedly provided the most accurate record so far of changes in sea level over the past 2000 years. It appears that nearly all the rise in sea level since Roman times has happened in the past 100 years, and is most likely the result of human activity. Sea-level change is a measure of the relative movement between land and sea surfaces. Tide-gauge records show that the sea level has been rising 1 to 2 millimetres a year since widespread measurements began around 1900, but do not pinpoint when the trend started. Earlier sea levels can be estimated from geological data, but the accuracy is limited to about half a metre, which is not enough to precisely chart the history of sea-level rise." [Full Story]
"Anfeh's salt, from ancient times a gift of the sea" August 16, 2004, TerraNet, Lebanon: "Fruits of the earth come in many shapes, sizes, and colors, and some are even colorless. Sea salt, in its naturally occurring form, is transparent, almost simple in its outward appearance. Nonetheless, Sodium chloride (NaCl), salt' s chemical name, is absolutely essential to human life. Indeed, during the increasingly hot summer months in Lebanon it is advisable for people to add a little more salt to their diet, in order to compensate for its loss. Perhaps equally as important though, and to gain a better sense of Lebanon' s own history, it is also advisable to understand the role that the country' s coast played in the history of salt. Since the earliest Phoenician records, salt ponds existed on the rocky shores of Anfeh, an ancient port just south of Tripoli." [Full Story]
"Diggers find town on former sea bottom" August 17, 2004, The Washington Times, USA: "Kazakh archaeologists have found a medieval town on the dried bottom of the Aral Sea, local media reported Tuesday. The town, in the northeastern part of Aral, is covered with sand and bottom sediment. It could be Robat-Togan, a prosperous town that existed about 1,000 years ago, the Kazakh Nomad Web site said. Archaeologists have discovered the remains of a levee surrounding the town that fits a description of Robat-Togan.
The diggers also found the ruins of buildings, pottery, iron lamps and coins. Remains of people and domestic animals also were chaotically scattered around the town, as though a catastrophe caught people unawares."
"Atlantis 'Evidence' Found in Spain and Ireland" August 19, 2004, National Geographic News, USA: "An empire filled with riches, it was an awe-inspiring civilization west of the Strait of Gibraltar's Pillars of Hercules cliffs - until it was defeated by ancient Athens and consumed by a cataclysmic natural disaster. 'In a single day and night … the island … disappeared into the depths of the sea.' So wrote the Greek philosopher Plato in 360 B.C. about the island he called Atlantis. The story is one of the more mysterious and enduring tales in history. Whether or not Atlantis actually existed has been a great topic of debate for thousands of years. Now new evidence claims that Atlantis was based on a real place - or places." [Full Story]
"Two Ancient Greek Ship Wrecks Discovered In The Aegean" August 23, 2004, Turkish Press, Turkey: "Archeologists have discovered the remains of two ancient Greek ships in the eastern part of the Aegean Sea near the islands of Chios and Samos, the Greek ministry of culture said Monday. The wreck near Chios, 65 meters (215 feet) underwater, dates from the Classic period (5th and 4th centuries BC), while the other, 30 meters (100 feet) under, is from the Hellenistic period that came immediately after. Amphoras - large, two-handled earthen jars used to store wine or oil - were found on both wrecks. Samples were removed for analysis." [Full Story]
"Expedition to shed light on 'undiscovered' reefs" August 23, 2004, ABC News Online, Australia: "Geoscience Australia says there is evidence suggesting there could be undiscovered coral reefs in the Gulf of Carpentaria. Three submerged living coral reefs, covering 80 square kilometres, were found in the Gulf last year, which was a significant find for the region. Marine Geologist Dr Peter Harris says another expedition in February 2005 may shed more light on other reefs." [Full Story]
"Explorers find three ancient wrecks off Capri" August 23, 2004, CTV News, Canada: "Archeologists exploring the bottom of the sea off the island of Capri have found the wrecks of three ancient ships that once plied the Mediterranean between Rome and northern African colonies. Culture Minister Giuliano Urbani took a mini-submarine tour Thursday to see the latest additions to Italy's rich archaeological heritage, which were found earlier this month. The wrecks were found off the island in the Gulf of Naples at a depth of 130 metres, said private TV Canale 5, showing underwater footage of the finds Friday." [Full Story]
"Archaeology students get their feet wet" August 23, 2004, The News & Observer, USA: "It was tough digging for archaeology students Erin Head and Matt Napolitano. Cold seeped through their wet suits. Dislodged river muck swirled through the water like cream being stirred into a cup of coffee. Visibility was only a few inches. 'Some days you can't see your hand in front of your face,' said Head, standing waist-deep in a Hudson River bay. So it goes in the submerged world of underwater archaeology. Instead of wearing khakis, diggers this summer at Croton Point Park donned wet suits and scuba gear as they dug up discoveries beyond the reach of landlocked archaeologists." [Full Story]
"CTO gains in publicity, but loses rights over August 25, 2004, Cyprus Mail, Cyprus: "The government has lost the rights to a documentary of an Atlantis expedition to the island by an American scientist, but the Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO) is a clear winner having received hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of publicity worldwide for a £10,000 investment in the project. The CTO yesterday denied reports that it had offered Robert Sarmast a total of £50,000. But the American told the Cyprus Mail that this amount had been promised and that it would have given Cyprus the rights to the documentary of the expedition he hopes to launch late next month. 'This money was going to give Cyprus the rights to the film,' said Sarmast, who admitted he had been banking on the investment to help with the expedition. He said he was 'not really co-operating' with the CTO now, although it did hand over £10,000 initially." [Full Story]
"Mary Rose artefacts to go on show" August 27, 2004, BBC News Online, UK: "Items recovered during a recent dive at the historic wreck site of the Mary Rose are on public display over the August bank holiday weekend.
During the most recent expedition marine archaeologists found large pieces of the vessel's missing front section, which had broken off from the rest of the ship." [Full Story]
"Underwater excavation of ancient warships under way" August 29, 2004, China Daily, China: "Chinese archaeologists are excavating sunken warships used by Zheng Chenggong and his followers to reclaim Taiwan from Dutch occupiers more than three centuries ago. The ruins of Zheng's fleet were found near Dongshan Island in east China's Fujian Province in 2000. But as long as ten years before, local people had found bowls, plates and other porcelain wares with the seals of Zheng Chenggong. Local fishermen said they can see rusty cannons at ebb tide. The excavation began on June 6 and is scheduled to finish by the end of September. It may last longer, though, if the sunken ships are found to be still intact, said Chen Liqun, a cultural official in Dongshan County." [Full Story]
"Protecting Champlain's underwater history" August 30, 2004, Rutland Herald, USA: "Many of the bricks the canal schooner O.J. Walker was carrying when it sank a century ago in a Lake Champlain gale are still on deck today, stacked in recognizable, if falling over, piles. Some are scattered off to the side of the boat in about 60 feet of water. The handcarts used to move the bricks and other cargo lay undisturbed on the muck alongside the boat. The boat itself sits upright, providing an underwater look into the 19th century commercial history of Lake Champlain. It's accessible to certified divers as part of a Lake Champlain underwater historic preserve, run by the states of Vermont and New York. The wreck site is marked on the surface with a yellow buoy. The anchor chain leads to a concrete pad and from there another chain leads to the wreck itself, where divers are greeted by a sign that warns them to stay out of the wreck and that it's illegal to take artifacts off the wreck." [Full Story]
"Dive recovers Cromwell's sailor" September 13, 2004, BBC News Online, UK: "A sailor from a sunken ship belonging to Oliver Cromwell's navy had the upper body of a trapeze artist but bowed legs, his recovered skeleton shows. The able seaman, who was in his early 20s, stood 157cm (5ft 2in) tall and suffered from rickets as a child. About 80% of the man's skeleton was recovered from the wreck of the Swan, a warship that sank off the Isle of Mull in Scotland on 13 September 1653." [Full Story]
"Scientist makes the case for Aegean underwater museum" September 22, 2004, Kathimerini, Greece: "Robert Ballard, the scientist who investigated the wreck of the Titanic, has called for a long-term research program to follow the Aegean’s ancient trade routes and hopes the underwater exploration can be broadcast live.
Among the guests, including mostly scientists and representatives from a variety of international foundations and institutions, was Dr Robert Ballard, the scientist who investigated the sinking of the Titanic." [Full Story]
"Scientists To Probe Seabed Treasures" September 22, 2004, Scoop, New Zealand: "New Zealand and American scientists set off this week on a three-week voyage on the deepwater research vessel Tangaroa to investigate submarine volcanoes in the Kermadec Arc, northeast of New Zealand. They will map and probe a 550km stretch of seafloor between Giggenbach volcano and just south of Tonga. The first 450km of the survey area lies within New Zealand's Exclusive Economic Zone. The balance is in international waters.
The project is the third in a series of voyages, which started in 1999, aimed at mapping and investigating submarine volcanoes and seafloor hotsprings along the 2500km of volcanic arc between New Zealand and Tonga."
"Ancient Sea Reptile Explains Long Neck" September 23, 2004, Discovery Channel News, USA: "The fossil of a sea reptile with a neck twice as long as its body is solving the mystery of how some ancient reptiles used their long appendages.
'To a fish in murky water, Dinocephalosaurus' head would have initially looked like another animal its own size, but by the time the fish was able to see Dinocephalosaurus' body, it would already have been lunch,' said Michael LaBarbera, professor of organismal biology and anatomy at the University of Chicago, in a press release." [Full Story]
"Ancient sea creature sucked in prey" September 23, 2004, New Scientist, UK: "A bizarre marine reptile used a neck nearly twice the length of its body to capture its prey, 230 million years ago. Fish saw only its small head in murky waters and, when they came too close, the animal quickly expanded its formidable throat to suck in its dinner. The astonishing length of the neck of Dinocephalosaurus was revealed when a near complete skeleton was unearthed in China by Chun Li of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, in Beijing. The length took researchers by surprise, since the reptile had previously been known from only a fossil skull. Dinocephalosaurus belongs to a little-known group called protorosaurs which first appeared at least 250 million years ago and were probably related to the ancestors of dinosaurs." [Full Story]
"Mystery from the deep creates puzzle" September 25, 2004, China Daily, China: "Protorosaurs are a group of carnivorous (meat-eating) reptiles who lived in the Triassic Period about 206-248 million years ago.
Two fossil specimens of the protorosaur were found in a marine limestone formation dating back to the Middle Triassic Period (230 million years ago) near Xinmin of Guizhou Province in 2002 and collected by the institute. One is the reptile's skull and neck fossil and another is its trunk." [Full Story]
"The Myth Is the Message: Yet another discovery of October 2004 Edition, Scientific American, USA: "Myths are stories that express meaning, morality or motivation. Whether they are true or not is irrelevant. But because we live in an age of science, we have a preoccupation with corroborating our myths. Consider the so-called Lost Continent of Atlantis, a mythic place that has been 'found' in so many places around the planet that one wouldn't think there was anywhere left to look.
Think again. On June 6 the BBC released a story about satellite images locating Atlantis in, of all places, the south of Spain. The story quoted Rainer Kühne of the University of Dortmund in Germany as saying, 'Plato wrote of an island of five stades (925 m) diameter that was surrounded by several circular structures--concentric rings--some consisting of Earth and the others of water. We have in the photos concentric rings just as Plato described.'"
"Prehistorical record of cultural eutrophication October 2004 Edition, Geology Magazine, USA: "Cultural eutrophication — the process by which human activities increase nutrient input rates to aquatic ecosystems and thereby cause undesirable changes in surface-water quality — is generally thought to have begun with the start of the industrial era. The prehistoric dimension of human impacts on aquatic ecosystems remains relatively undescribed, particularly in North America. Here we present fossil plankton data (diatoms and rotifers), organic and inorganic carbon accumulations, and carbon isotope ratios from a 1000 yr sediment core record from Crawford Lake, Ontario, Canada. The data document increased nutrient input to Crawford Lake caused by Iroquoian horticultural activity from A.D. 1268 to 1486 and show how this increased nutrient input elevated lake productivity, caused bottom-water anoxia, and irreversibly altered diatom community structure within just a few years. Iroquoian settlement in the region declined in the fifteenth century, yet diatom communities and lake circulation never recovered to the predisturbance state." [Abstract]
"Iranian and Australian marine archeologists October 2, 2004, Payvand, Iran: "Iranian and Australian marine archeologists intend to embark on a 5-year plan to discover possible ships wrecked in Iran’s territorial waters of the Persian Gulf, though their plan awaits the go-ahead from heritage authorities, Iranian Cultural Heritage News Agency reported. In recent years Iranian marine archeologists have managed to discover some artifacts and relics that indicate some ancient ships and military armada are lying on the sea floor. 'Now after some negotiations with experts of marine archeology at Sydney University, a team is set up and plans to start its excursions in the Persian Gulf as soon as receiving a green light from Iranian Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization (CHTO),' said Mahmood Mir-Eskandari, head of the team." [Full Story]
"Divers to return to Blackbeard vessel this week" October 3, 2004, The Jacksonville Daily News, USA: "For the first time in four years, state underwater archaeologists plan to dig on the site believed to be the wreckage of the Pirate Blackbeard's flagship. Researchers with the Queen Anne's Revenge Project have scheduled an exploratory dive this week, during which they hope to uncover buried artifacts on the northwest side of the shipwreck.
'We're not really planning to do any artifact recovery other than what is absolutely necessary,' said QAR Project Archaeologist Chris Southerly."
"Time team race to save history from the waves" October 3, 2004, Scotland on Sunday, Scotland: "The sea has shaped Scotland’s coastline and given her people an abundance of food, wealth and play. But it is also rapidly erasing the nation’s history. Coastal erosion - made worse by global warming - threatens to destroy an estimated 12,000 of Scotland’s 35,000 sites of archaeological importance, some of them in months and years rather than decades and centuries. Experts say that 500 of the sites are of national and even international importance and they are in a race against time to salvage what artefacts they can before the seas claim them forever." [Full Story]
"Hermaphrodite fish found near waste plants" October 4, 2004, IOL, South Africa: "Fish with both male and female sex tissue have been discovered near Colorado wastewater treatment plants on the South Platte River and Boulder Creek. Scientists are trying to determine if chemicals that disrupt hormones, such as oestrogen, are responsible for the gender-bending phenomenon. Colorado biologist John Woodling discovered the deformed white suckers about two years ago near two wastewater discharge pipes. Female fish also far outnumber the male fish near the plants." [Full Story]
"Underwater archaeologists to dig on believed site of flagship" October 4, 2004, Sun-Journal, USA: "For the first time in four years, state underwater archaeologists plan to dig on the site believed to be the wreckage of the Pirate Blackbeard's flagship. Researchers with the Queen Anne's Revenge Project have scheduled an exploratory dive this week during which they hope to uncover buried artifacts on the northwest side of the shipwreck.
'We're not really planning to do any artifact recovery other than what is absolutely necessary,' said QAR Project Archaeologist Chris Southerly."
"Archaeologists excited about another Blackbeard cannon" October 8, 2004, The Jacksonville Daily News, USA: "Historical records indicate that when the pirate Blackbeard took a French frigate in 1717 and renamed it Queen Anne's Revenge, he increased the ship's firepower from 14 to 40 guns. Since 1996, when the wreckage believed to be the remains of the pirate's flagship was discovered in Beaufort Inlet, underwater archaeologists found 22 on the site. This week, they added one more to the list. '"We're pretty positive that we have cannon number 23,' said QAR Project Archaeologist Chris Southerly." [Full Story]
"7-Foot Robot Used in Black Sea Expedition" October 11, 2004, PhillyBurbs/AP, USA: "Four years ago, scientists thought they had found the perfect place to settle the Noah flood debate: A farmer's house on a bluff overlooking the Black Sea built about 7,500 years ago - just before tidal waves inundated the homestead, submerged miles of coastline and turned the freshwater lake into a salty sea. Some believed the rectangular site of stones and wood could help solve the age-old question of whether the Black Sea's flooding was the event recounted in the Biblical story of Noah. That story told of a calamitous flood occurring over 40 days and nights. Scientists had largely dismissed it, believing the Black Sea filled up gradually with gently rising waters. That wisdom was rocked, however, when two scholars claimed several years ago that the Black Sea's flooding was more recent - and so rapid and widespread that it forced people to move as far away as mainland Europe." [Full Story]
"Black Sea slowly gives up ancient secrets: October 11, 2004, MSNBC News, USA: "Four years ago, scientists thought they had found the perfect place to settle the Noah flood debate: A farmer’s house on a bluff overlooking the Black Sea, built about 7,500 years ago — just before tidal waves inundated the homestead, submerged miles of coastline and turned the freshwater lake into a salty sea.
That wisdom was rocked, however, when two scholars claimed several years ago that the Black Sea’s flooding was more recent — and so rapid and widespread that it forced people to move as far away as mainland Europe." [Full Story]
"Searching for the 'Mayan Atlantis'" October 12, 2004, IOL, South Africa: "A team of international archaeologists have set sail from Mexico to seek a sunken city that has been dubbed the 'Mayan Atlantis', press reports said on Monday. Quoted by the Mexican newspaper Milenio, team leader Paulina Zelintzky, a Russian archaeologist, said sonar equipment had given indications there could be ancient structures on the ocean floor between Mexico's Yucatan peninsula and Cuba. According to Milenio, resonances showed geometric images similar to pyramids and round structures. The archaeologists will search the area using a mini-submarine known as 'Deep Worker'." [Full Story]
"Ancient Clams Lived 120 Years" October 14, 2004, Discovery Channel News, USA: "Researchers have found fossil clams from Antarctica that lived for more than 120 years and defy conventional wisdom about longevity in nature. Cold climates, coupled with short growing seasons, are usually called on to explain how some critters live for decades or centuries. But the Antarctic waters where the clam Cucullaea raea lived some 45 million years ago weren't any colder than those off of North Carolina, said Syracuse University geologist Linda Ivany." [Full Story]
"Old towns emerge as lakes shrink" October 22, 2004, The Seattle Times, USA: "Early last year, fishermen searching for bass and bluegill on a northern finger of Lake Mead saw a curious cluster of concrete blocks jutting out of the water. It turned out to be the chimney of what had been, 65 years earlier, an ice-cream parlor.
Now, there is a sun-soaked valley, along with the ruins of St. Thomas, a town that was, until recently, under 64 feet of water." [Full Story]
"Sea damaging Roman burial site" October 26, 2004, BBC News Online, UK: "There are concerns for part of Cumbria's Roman heritage, which is being damaged by erosion. Roman invaders buried and cremated their dead at Beckfoot, which lies north of Maryport. Now the site is being badly damaged by the sea and work is being done to try to save its relics. Local volunteers have been gathering artefacts which are being found on the beach and an underground survey of the site has now started." [Full Story]
"Strange life-forms 1800m down in smoking deep-sea volcano" November 01, 2004, New Zealand Herald, New Zealand: "Scientists may have discovered new deep-sea creatures 1800m down in the crater of a seafloor volcano northeast of the Bay of Plenty. The scientists, from New Zealand and Japan, recovered a variety of creatures while diving into the Brothers volcano in the world's deepest-diving submersible research vessel, Shinkai 6500. The 26-tonne vessel can take a crew of three to the bottom of the ocean for eight hours. Scientists scan the sea floor with the sub's powerful light. They discovered numerous long-neck barnacles, shrimps, limpets, tubeworms, crabs and 'black smoker chimneys'." [Full Story]
"Underwater Archeology in Iran" November 01, 2004, Persian Journal, Iran: "As evidenced by archeological documents, the ancient city of Kish, the wall of the ancient city of Gorgan, Takht-e Suleiman and part of the Portuguese Castle are submerged in Iran's coastal waters. Although Iran's underwater archeological activities are over half a century old, this topic is yet to be treated in a suitable manner. Two centuries have passed and archeology has yet to achieve its rightful position in Iran. This science needs full revision, as Iran has special importance in human civilization and its role in establishing other cultures inspired by its civilization is undisputed. For this reason, Iran Cultural Heritage Organization (ICHO) is not able to take charge of many historical grounds. Dissemination of information is so poor that many in our society still consider archaeologists as treasure hunters!" [Full Story]
"Traces of an ancient settlement found on the November 05, 2004, Kazinform, Kazakhstan: "The scientists of the Institute of Archeology named after Alkey Margulan found some traces of an ancient town on the dry bottom of the Aral Sea. The area of the town amounts to about 6 ha and goes back to the 13-14 centuries, i.e. the epoch of the Golden Horde." [Full Story]
"Submerged Himachal temples to be relocated" November 05, 2004, OnlyPunjab, India: "The 15th century Nagara style temples in Bilaspur town, 90 km from here, have been lying submerged under the Gobind Sagar Lake, the backwards of the Bhakra hydro project built nearly four decades ago. The tops of some of these stone temples are visible when the water level drops in summer. 'We have approached the ASI to transplant these temples as the water is damaging them,' said an official of the department of language, art and culture." [Full Story]
"Ancient marine invasion sheds light on diversity" November 09, 2004, Innovations-Report, Germany: "Fossils from the sea floor illuminate the relationship between local and global diversity, and these relationships may help us understand the effects of global climate change on species diversity. 'Looking at fossils can tell you something about the controls on global diversity, but so much of the investigation of the fossil record has looked only at global compilations of fossil species,' says Dr. Mark E. Patzkowsky, associate professor of geosciences. 'Recently, a few studies have shown that if you look at diversity locally, it is not necessarily mimicking global diversity at that time.' Patzkowsky and Steven M. Holland, professor of geology, University of Georgia, looked at fossils similar to modern corals, clams, snails and brachiopods from 450 million-year-old fossil beds in the area around Cincinnati, Ohio. These Ordovician fossils show great diversity of sea floor invertebrates." [Full Story]
"Sea change: Skeletons of ancient corals different from today's" November 09, 2004, EurekAlert, USA: "A Johns Hopkins University graduate student may have solved a problem that has been baffling marine biologists and paleontologists for years: Why do coral reefs disappear from the fossil record during the beginning of the Cretaceous period - 120 million years ago - only to reappear after its end 35 million years ago? The possible answer: Ancient seawater's low magnesium-to-calcium ratio during this interval made it difficult for the marine animals - which build their skeletons from a mineral called aragonite calcium carbonate - to grow and flourish into vast reefs. That left few to end up in the fossil record, posits doctoral candidate Justin Ries and his advisor Steven Stanley, professor in the Morton K. Blaustein Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at the university's Zanvyl Krieger School of Arts and Sciences." [Full Story]
"Underwater Treasure Discovered Off Coast of La Paz, Mexico" November 10, 2004, eMediaWire, USA: "In the aptly named Sea of Cortez a rich booty of treasure has recently been discovered, mind you not in pieces of eight but rather an ecological treasure of enormous wealth. Located in varying depths between 65 and 130 feet of water, 032 degrees, and 8.2 miles from northernmost tip of Isla Partida off the coast of La Paz, Mexico scuba divers have found an underwater El Dorado. This underwater volcano, known as a seamount, is described in stunning detail in the new bestselling novel "Diving The Seamount". El Bajo, as it is known by the locals, is a magnificent dive spot rated one of the top ten in the world." [Full Story]
"Divers find mystery Napoleonic-era wreck off Wales" November 12, 2004, DiverNet, UK: "Divers from Fishguard Subaqua Club have found the remains of an ancient wreck, possibly Napoleonic - causing speculation that the wreck may be have been part of the 1797 French invasion of Fishguard, Wales. A little-known chapter of British history has been re-opened after the divers recovered artefacts from a wreck site they had discovered in 30m off Strumble head, Pembrokeshire. . The site and finds have been reported to the Receiver of Wrecks, Sophia Exelby. She has made the Fishguard Subaqua Club licensed custodians of the site." [Full Story]
"Rogue divers raid war grave wreck" November 13, 2004, The Daily Telegraph, UK: "The wreck of a German ship sunk by Soviet torpedoes in the Baltic Sea 60 years ago, with the loss of 9,000 lives, is being systematically plundered by rogue divers. The Wilhelm Gustloff, which was packed with refugees when it sank on the night of Jan 10, 1945, in what experts say is the worst maritime disaster in history, has been stripped of everything from its portholes to wash basins.
Many of the divers are encouraged by rumours that items such as ashtrays and bed linen from the ship are regularly snapped up by German collectors
"Divers find mystery Napoleonic warship" November 13, 2004, The Western Mail, Cymru: "Divers off the Welsh coast may have found the wreck of a ship from the last foreign invasion of mainland Britain, over 200 years ago. The discovery by a husband-and-wife diving team off the Pembrokeshire coast could rewrite history, once it is formally identified. Until now it was widely believed no ships were lost when the French landed at Carregwasted near Fishguard, in 1797.
But items found off Strumble Head by Pembrokeshire Scuba Diving Club appear to be from a large warship dating back to the Napoleonic era."
"Cyprus 'just the tip of Atlantis'" November 14, 2004, ABC News Online, Australia: "An expedition on the trail of the lost city of Atlantis says it has discovered evidence of man-made structures submerged in the sea between Cyprus and Syria. Robert Sarmast, who is convinced the fabled city lurks in the watery depths off Cyprus, will give details of his findings this week. 'Something has been found to indicate very strongly that there are man-made structures somewhere between Cyprus and Syria,' a spokesperson for the mission told Reuters. The mystery of Atlantis - both whether it existed and if so, why it disappeared - has fired the imagination of explorers for decades." [Full Story]
November 14, 2004, Cyprus Mail, Cyprus: "THE TEAM led by American researcher Robert Sarmast, who believes Cyprus is Atlantis, said yesterday they had found man-made structures in the area they had earmarked as the site of the underwater lost continent. 'It’s definitely Atlantis, Sarmast was quoted as saying through his spokeswoman Angela Henderson. 'It’s going to be impossible for the sceptics to prove me wrong. Henderson said that Sarmast, the author of "Discovery of Atlantis: The Startling Case for the Island of Cyprus", launched a secret expedition last Monday and was due back at Limassol port last night. He is to reveal his findings at a news conference today, accompanied with visual data. 'All we can say right now is that we have found compelling new evidence from side-scan sonar that there are unnatural formations, i.e. man-made objects the details of which will be released on Sunday,' Henderson told the Sunday Mail." [Full Story]
"Nation gods found too decadent and plunged under the sea" November 15, 2004, The Scotsman, Scotland: "THE first accounts of Atlantis appear in Timaeus and Critias, two dialogues by the ancient Greek philosopher Plato. According to these, the island was described to the Athenian statesman Solon by an Egyptian priest, who claimed that Atlantis was larger than Asia Minor and Libya combined. He maintained that the nation had conquered all the Mediterranean peoples except the Athenians. According to Plato, Atlantis had 'soil the best in the world, an abundance of water, and in the heaven above an excellently attempered climate'. Its people were so blessed that few were compelled to do physical work. But they also became so decadent that the gods decided to destroy them and a great catastrophe plunged Atlantis under the waves. Plato described a series of worldwide floods culminating in the deluge of the Deucalion, dated by Greek historians to the end of the last Ice Age, about 10,000 BC." [Full Story]
"US team claims Atlantis discovery" November 15, 2004, Aljazeera, Qatar: "A US researcher says he has found the lost civilisation of Atlantis in the waters off Cyprus - adding his theory to a mystery that has baffled explorers for centuries.
Deep water sonar scanning had indicated man-made structures on a submerged hill, including a 3km-long wall, a walled hill summit and deep trenches, he said. But further explorations were needed, he said."
"New claim on location of Atlantis" November 15, 2004, BBC News Online, UK: "American researchers claim to have found convincing evidence that locates the site of the lost kingdom of Atlantis off the coast of Cyprus.
Team leader Robert Sarmast said the walls appear to be sited on a flat-topped hill where the temples of Atlantis once stood. He intends to use the sonar data to make a three-dimensional computer image of the site, 1.5km below sea level, before returning for further research." [Full Story]
"The Great Atlantis Hoax: Another Media Fiasco"
November 15, 2004, CCNet 148/2004, England:
"An American researcher claimed yesterday to have discovered the remains of the legendary lost city of Atlantis on the bottom of the east Mediterranean Sea. Robert Sarmast says that sonar scanning of the seabed between east Cyprus and Syria revealed man-made walls, one as long as two miles, and trenches at a depth of 1,500 meters. "We have definitely found the Acropolis of Atlantis," he affirmed, adding the site was 50 miles south-east of Cyprus."
"It is a miracle we found these walls as their location and lengths match exactly the description of the acropolis of Atlantis provided by Plato in his writings."
"People who dismiss this have not really done their homework, sceptics don't really understand. To understand the enigma of Atlantis you have to have good knowledge of ancient history, Biblical references, the Sumerian culture and their tablets and so on."
"Serious archaeologists tend to place the search for Atlantis within the realm of fantasy. This latest theory should be taken with a very large pinch of salt. Archaeologists only work with hard evidence. There is no evidence whatsoever to give credence to this hypothesis and we have no intention of investigating it."
"Cyprus Atlantis Expedition Press Release" November 15, 2004, Cyprus Atlantis Expedition Press Office, Cyprus: "A triumphant Robert Sarmast, American author and expedition co-ordinator of the first Cyprus Atlantis Expedition, is today celebrating at his base in Limassol, Cyprus, following the completion of the first expedition to prove that Plato’s lost city of Atlantis lies 1.5km down on the sea bed 80km off the S.E. coast of Cyprus. The 6 day long, privately-funded $200,000 expedition has confounded or at least confused sceptics by bringing back scientific side-scan sonar data which supports evidence from previous scans of the Eastern Mediterranean revealing man-made structures (including a 3km long wall, a walled hill summit and deep trenches) - plus old river beds - in exactly the formation and proportions that Plato himself described for the Acropolis Hill of Atlantis City in his works of 2,400 years ago. 'We cannot yet provide tangible proof in the form of bricks and mortar, as the artefacts are still buried under several metres of sediment, but the circumstantial and other evidence is now irrefutable – and we hope that future expeditions will be able to uncover the sediment and bring back physical proof' said Robert, whose book, "The Discovery of Atlantis – the startling case for the island of Cyprus" has become something of a best-seller in Cyprus – where the tourist industry will certainly be set to gain from this latest discovery." [Full Story]
"New Atlantis Location Pictures" November 15, 2004, Cyprus Atlantis Expedition Press Office, Cyprus: "Additional images using data from a recent French survey and additional data of the expedition. You can now freely access theAssorted Early Data Images as well as the Aquatec Team Picture Gallery"
"Titanic threatened by tourists, says explorer" November 15, 2004, ABC News Online, Australia: "Undersea tourists and souvenir hunters are hastening the decay of the Titanic, says United States explorer Bob Ballard, the man who discovered the world's most famous shipwreck nearly 20 years ago. In a visit to the site of the Titanic last June, his first since 1985, Dr Ballard was shocked at how fast the wreckage had deteriorated and he wants the US Congress to pass legislation giving greater protection to the sunken vessel. Most alarming, he said, was damage caused by submersibles landing on the deck of the Titanic, which hit an iceberg and sank in the North Atlantic on April 14, 1912, on its maiden voyage from Southampton, England to New York. 'It's sort of like going into the Louvre [Museum in Paris] with a bulldozer,' Dr Ballard said of the submersibles landing on the deck of the once-luxury liner." [Full Story]
"Atlantis discovered! This time it's under the sea off Cyprus" November 16, 2004, The Times, UK: "In the child’s imagination or in the whimsical plots of the cult 1970s television series, Atlantis exists, variously, on the tip of a Bolivian volcano, beneath the sands of the Arabian desert or in the Fourth Dimension somewhere off the coast of Bermuda.
Mr Sarmast, who has nurtured an obsession with Atlantis since he was a young boy, said that the dimensions and configuration of straight walls and a canal on a hillside above a rectangular plain on the sea-bed 'perfectly' matched Plato’s description of the fabled city consigned to the deep by earthquakes and flooding. 'We have proven this is a match that cannot be coincidental,' he said." [Full Story]
"Acropolis of lost Atlantis 'found' in eastern Med" November 16, 2004, The Western Mail, Cymru: "An American architect's claim to have discovered Atlantis at the bottom of the east Mediterranean Sea was yesterday greeted with scepticism. Robert Sarmast, 38, from Los Angeles, said, 'We have definitely found the Acropolis of Atlantis.' Dr Louis Rawlings, lecturer in Ancient History at Cardiff University, believes the Atlantis Plato described was an invention of his imagination. 'In the context of trying to work out what would be an ideal constitution and state he invented this place called Atlantis and set a number of stories there. Somehow, some people have taken this literally, which I find quite fascinating.' Now that satellite technology has allowed the world to be mapped in minutes, Dr Rawlings believes there is a human hunger to discover lost civilisations." [Full Story]
"Welsh shipwreck linked to French folly" November 16, 2004, The Times, UK: "The discovery of a Napoleonic wreck off the windswept coast of West Wales is expected to rewrite the history of the last invasion of Britain.
Two amateur divers, Richard and Rebecca Hughes, found it by chance but because of strong currents and poor weather were unable to return to explore further until this summer." [Full Story]
"How Often Is Atlantis Discovered?
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