UNDERWATER ARCHAEOLOGY

by Roy Pinney ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 1970

To turn back the centuries so that the veil of time seems to be lifted and one can almost feel the contact with long-dead civilizations -- that is the task of the archaeologist."" Thus, romantically, ""The Lure""; then, with increasing concreteness, the facts. A brief, unspecialized history of diving precedes the important distinction between underwater salvage and archaeology, summarized as ""the difference between simple collecting and scientific method"" and followed by a description of site-types (refuse sites, sacred sites, submerged once-inhabited sites, and shipwrecks which as ""'closed contexts'"" pose the fewest dating problems). Most seriously, next, an impressive rundown of excavation techniques: initial charting, subsequent photographing and drafting of three-dimensional lay-out plans of the find, preservation of material, and the equipment breakthrough (Cousteau's compact, uncostly diving outfit has released researchers from dependence on institutional generosity). The rest of the book is devoted, pro forms, to discoveries -- how, when, where, and why significant -- including ""Amphoras -- Keys to Ancient Trade,"" the sacrificial well of Chichen Itza, Mediterranean explorations, Casteret's Montespan caves, Viking ships, the search for Spanish gold (very lightly), undersea cities, and American recoveries. Rounding things out, an attentive look at internal (physiological) and external ""Dangers in the Depths"" and some notes on ""Tomorrow and Beyond"" -- general career advice and the extent to which the future of this whole science hinges on advancements in technology. Besides an estimable bibliography that recommends journal-consultation for current information and lists mature juvenile titles among the well-chosen adult references, Mr. Pinney provides (with annotation) 56 Cartographic Works -- sources of charts, treasure maps, and expeditional records. Paralleling Rackl's Diving Into the Past (1968) which is accompanied by photographs (as this will be) and takes a rather more popular perspective, Pinney writes for an audience older than Silverberg's (Sunken History, 1963, junior-high-level) hot yet ready for George Bass' scholarly Archaeology Under Water (1966).

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1970

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Hawthorn

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1970

Categories: NONFICTION