We stood in the ruined fort looking down at the sea. Each one of us was exhausted from months of excavation, but feeling rejuvenated by our climb to the top of Castle Island. From our vantage point we could watch the ocean churn amongst the reefs lying out beyond the small barrier islands. Far beneath […]

It was darker than normal this morning.  The sky was overcast and the air was heavy; rain was on the horizon.  Breakfast, as per usual, was some form of rice. Today the kitchen served the mushroom rice balls that Doug has become so fond of. I myself prefer beef pho or the occasional bread and […]

We have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of enthusiasm since we were Freshly Pressed. We deeply appreciate every comment, like, and read – and are thrilled for every new follower. For us, this has been an incredible introduction to hundreds of new blogs! Thank you all so much! So here’s what’s next: We hope that […]

There is nothing compared to the physical experience of being aboard a historic sailing vessel. Neither of us has ever been aboard the full sized replica of Batavia, but after reading “The Power of Replicas” posted by Kelby Rose, we are determined to go. He posted stunning pictures of both the vessel and shipyard on […]

Some of the angels I encountered in the Greek cemetery, described in Angels over Alexandria.  The poems are from our favorite poets, Constantine Cavafy and Juan Ramón Jiménez. “I am not I. I am this one walking beside me whom I do not see, whom at times I manage to visit, and whom at other times […]

It was a blustery day in Alexandria (El Eskanderia) and the sea was full of chop. The northerly, known by the ancients as the Etesian wind, was blowing strong.  During the summer months this wind would pick up strength and provide favorable conditions for ancient mariners sailing to Egypt from Greece and the Aegean.  Just […]

I am wearing $28,000 of sensitive electrical equipment and sinking deeper into the rice paddy with every step. By this point, its pretty apparent that I am going to need some help. I am carrying a device called a gradiometer. It measures anomalies in the earths magnetic field. Our team is using it to look […]

The Polish magnetometer team arrived at the dig house just short of 9am.  Their leader, Tomasz Herbich, who is fiercely Polish with a grey mane and arching eyebrows, was accompanied by two younger fellows who were going to do the brunt work.  Rafaat, my second-hand man, was available to chauffeur us around the site.  He’s […]

Quảng Yên, Việt Nam There are no sidewalks where the sidewalks are. We cannot walk ten meters without having to weave into the road. Like urban breakers, the streets of Quảng Yên crash into an endless line of little store fonts. The space between curb and building is just another parking spot for trucks, bikes […]

At the dawn of civilization in the Nile Valley, people settled upon four levees of the Mendesian branch of the Nile.  These sandy embankments protruded from the landscape in a southwest to northeast direction and provided the earliest settlers a safe abode from the annual floodwaters.  Here the first settlement of Mendes, initially known as […]