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 […]

Evidence of one of history’s legendary naval conflicts lies somewhere beneath the inundated rice paddies of rural Vietnam. In November, Veronica and I had a chance to join an international team searching for the remains of the Bạch Đằng River battle, where seven hundred years ago Đại Việt hero Trần Hưng Đạo defeated the forces […]

May 14th 2010- It was just after 9am and the streets of Zamalek were relatively quiet.  The mosque on Marashly Street was jam-packed with men attending Friday morning prayer.  Lime green mats were strewn across the street to accommodate the masses.  Birds fluttered overhead in the trees, the air was warm but not sweltering yet.  […]

I love digging underwater, but loathe of the endless mechanical circus. Don’t get me wrong – being able to vacuum up sediment with a giant hose is far better than having to lug bucket  after bucket of backdirt up and out of your unit. And as far as archaeology is concerned, nothing can beat floating […]

In November 1619, a hurricane ripped across the island of Bermuda. In the King’s Anchorage, the English Galleon Warwick broke free of her moorings and was shattered on the reefs. Warwick was a key link in the lifeline that tied the fledgling colony of Jamestown to Bermuda and England. When she sank, that tie was severed. With no other […]

Archaeologist Veronica Morriss will be joining Diving|Archaeology as a writer and photographer! We will be posting updates on our recent archaeological explorations in Vietnam. We had an incredible time and have thousands of pictures. In addition to photos from Vietnam, I will be moving though my backlog of Bermuda and Florida picks; Veronica has a […]