Archaeologists head to Cyprus to save rapidly eroding 1,500-year-old RAF site
This article originally appeared on Culture24.
Rescue excavation to be held by Leicester archaeologists at Dreamers Bay, on RAF Akrotiri
The foundations of one of a number of late Roman or early Byzantine harbour buildings exposed by winter storm wave action at Dreamer's Bay, Akrotiri© Prof Simon James, University of LeicesterExperts will excavate a section of Dreamer’s Bay, inside RAF Akrotiri, which is believed to date from between the 4th and 7th centuries.
“We aim to conduct a rescue excavation on wave-threatened heritage remains along the shoreline in the form of a series of simple masonry buildings – probably warehouses,” says Simon James, a Professor of Archaeology at the University of Leicester.
“These structures are being rapidly eroded by the sea during winter storms.
“The September exercise will act as a pilot for a proposed larger scale and longer term research programme on the archaeology of the peninsula.
“Our excavation will also provide an opportunity for further reconnaissance of the archaeology of the peninsula and for discussions regarding future fieldwork plans at Dreamer’s Bay and, we hope, other sites on a larger scale.”
Organisers hope to involve residents on the base and military personnel recovering from injuries in the work, which has been commissioned by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation alongside the Republic of Cyprus Department of Antiquities.
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Three museums to find archaeology in
World Museum, Liverpool
Current exhibition Mayas - Revelation of an Endless Time uses 385 stunning objects from museums and Maya sites in Mexico, from striking funerary masks to intricate jade jewellery, to explore the extraordinary civilisation whose culture is still alive today. Until October 18 2015.
Tower Museum, Derry
An Armada shipwreck – La Trinidad Valencera narrates the story of La Trinidad Valencera, one of the largest ships in the Armada Fleet. In 1588 it foundered in Kinnagoe Bay in Co. Donegal during a violent storm and was discovered nearly 400 years later by divers from the City of Derry Sub Aqua Club.
Bristol Museum and Art Gallery
From the Day of the Dead and Victorian mourning rituals to mummification and bespoke coffins, explore the human response to death through hundreds of obje.ts and stories from across the world. Runs October 24 2015 — March 13 2016.
