Dive & Dig

Join Professor Lucy Blue as she discovers why the loch waters in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland are peppered with hundreds of artificial islets, known as crannogs. Here she speaks to a director of The Islands of Stones project team, Professor Fraser Sturt from the University of Southampton who has been investigating these small islands built of stones and layers of timbers.  Originally thought to be...

Professor Lucy Blue is captivated by the Nabataeans – the ancient Arab traders best known for their rock-cut capital of Petra. Here she speaks to Michele Stefanile from the University of Naples Federico II about two recently located submerged Nebataean temples in the Bay of Naples. Prodigious traders, the Nebataeans traded in luxury goods from the Arabian Peninsula such as frankincense and shipped...

Dr Lucy Blue speaks with a number of team members working under the direction of Professor of Simon James at the site of Dreamer’s Bay on the southern tip of Akrotiri Peninsula in Cyprus.  At this ancient port complex discoveries range from an ancient mole – or massive stone breakwater, a wreck with a cargo of tiles, and stone anchors among other remains possibly dating to the Roman or Byzantine p...

Professor Lucy Blue chats with maritime archaeologist, Dr Daniel Pascoe about discovering the 17th century 70-gun warship, the HMS Edgar.  Dan explains how a combination of boundless determination, in-depth archival research and geophysical investigations helped identify mounds that appeared to be the remains of the ship blown apart by sloppy storage of gun powder.  By probing these mounds and dig...

Maritime archaeologist, Lauren Tidbury speaks with Garry Momber, Director of the Maritime Archaeology Trust about what they have been discovering in the intertidal zone along the coast of Britain.  This area between high and low water is revealing amazing ancient structures. Learn how during recent work off the New Forest has revealed posts dating back 3000 years to the Bronze Age and others even...

Join Lucy Blue as she discusses the ancient Red Sea Port of Berenike in Egypt with Steve Sidebotham, site co-coordinator.  Excavations at this trading hub have been conducted since the mid-90s, discovering evidence that it was connected to extensive areas of the world and was operating for around 800 years since the 3rd century BCE.  According to Steve, greed drove the extensive trade here, but su...

Welcome to Dive & Dig news, presented by Dr Lucy Blue, the podcast that takes you on an underwater journey deeper than you might have imagined ! In this episode, Lucy speaks to Mark Beattie-Edwards, CEO of the Nautical Archaeology Society, about the recent discovery of the Klein Hollandia off the coast of Sussex. How have Mark and his team been able to identify this shipwreck so accurately to...

In this episode we are in Malta at the Under the Mediterranean conference, Lucy catches up with Julie Satchell and Anna Demetriou to talk about maritime archaeological archives and oral histories. They have such huge potential to tell us about the history of our discipline and to uncover previously untold stories about our maritime past. 

To celebrate International Women's Day we are excited to share this interview on Deep Water Archaeology with Barbara Davidde and Franca Cibecchini, using advanced technology they are exploring ever greater depths and discovering ancient shipwrecks in the Mediterranean. #IWD2023 #EmbraceEquity

In this episode we hear about three fascinating research projects on wrecks discovered under the Mediterranean. Presented as part of the Under the Med conference in Malta these projects include a Roman cargo ship, the remains of an ancient sea battle off the Egadi Islands, and a 16th century merchant ship off Croatia. The team delve in to the archaeology and the archives to tell the stories of our...

In this episode we head to the Mediterranean and discover more about Inclusive Maritime Heritage in Southeast Sicily. We explore the ancient fishing traditions of the Marzamemi, discuss shipwrecks, connectivity, and the innovative, reflexive ways the team are working with local communities to tell the story of their maritime past.  #maritimeheritage #sicily #mediterranean #inclusive #histories #ma...

In this episode, we look back to Honor Frost's first dive in a well in Wimbledon 70 years ago this week, a pivotal moment for the field of maritime archaeology. We also speak with Claire Calcagno about her discovery of an unknown and unfinished book in Honor's archive, the Second Life of a Phoenix, all about her work on the 3rd Century BC Punic Shipwreck off Sicily. 

We head back 8,000 years this week! Agios Petros is the earliest submerged site in the Aegean. This Neolithic site is 8000 years old and reveals astonishing insights into how the farmers, fishermen and seafarers that lived there, were part of an expansive Neolithic network connected by sailing ships – far more sophisticated than ever imagined. The team even found remains of tuna bones and speciali...

In this episode, Bettany heads to Turkey. The site of Yenikapi, in Istanbul, is home to one of the largest archaeological digs in the world, covering over 58,000 square metres, discovered during development work. Most of the remains relate to the artificial Theodosian Harbour from the Byzantine period including over 37 remarkably well-preserved shipwrecks, the largest group of Byzantine shipwrecks...

Welcome to Episode 3 of our Ancient World series, in this episode Bettany heads to the Bay of Naples, where in the middle of a volcanic landscape a Roman city now lies underwater. The Roman city at Baia is now submerged due to volcanic movement, the site has become a vast archaeological marine park, with statues, villas and mosaics visible underwater. Often referred to as the Las Vegas of the Roma...

Welcome to Episode 2 of the Dive & Dig Ancient World Series. In this episode, finds from two key 4th century BC shipwreck sites in Cyprus at Mazotos and Kyrenia tell us about trade and connectivity in Classical Greece.  Olive stones, amphorae and small vessels bring the crews of one ancient ship back to life and the art of ancient seafaring and navigation is revealed through a series of ship r...

Welcome to the first episode of our new series! Presented by historian, Professor Bettany Hughes, and maritime archaeologist, Dr Lucy Blue who journey across the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. In this episode we explore Wadi El Jarf, the site of the oldest known artificial sea harbour in the world. Located on the Red Sea of Egypt, it was built about 4500 years ago.  It reveals around 30 caves hous...

Lucy Blue talks to the team behind a new smartphone app, allowing users to explore the ancient harbour of Amathus off the coast of Cyprus. This EU-funded project allows visitors to explore the site with both walking and swimming tours, and for those unable to visit you can use the app to explore the site through immersive photos, videos, 3D models and an interactive map. 

In this episode, we speak to Tom Cousins and Dave Parham from Bournemouth University about a recently discovered 13th Century shipwreck off the Dorset Coast. The team were surprised to discover ship timbers surviving after 700 years, and the site, which contains a rather unusual cargo, is now the oldest protected wreck in the UK. #maritime #archaeology #shipwreck #dorset #newdiscovery 

In the third and final part of our special IKUWA conference series, we hear about initiatives to protect and promote our underwater heritage at risk from looting, climate change and a multitude of other threats. #underwater #archaeology #shipwrecks #treasurehunters #looting #protection #heritage 

In part II of our special IKUWA conference series, we reveal that maritime archaeology is not just about shipwrecks, exploring Neolithic lake settlements, ancient fishing and boats in bogs, as well as the first project of its kind in Pakistan.  #underwater #archaeology #neolithic #prehisoric #pakistan #norway #logboats #bogs #fishing #cyprus 

Part I of the special IKUWA conference edition of our podcast looks at Shipwrecks - Timecapsules from the Deep! We hear from five speakers all of whom are working on a range of shipwreck sites, including warships, royal ships, merchant ships and even U-Boats. #archaeology #underwater #shipwrecks #warships #wwI #wwII 

We recently attended the International Congress for Underwater Archaeology (IKUWA) in Helsinki and spoke to some fascinating researchers, from Shipwrecks to prehistoric lake settlements, and from battles against treasure hunters to the opening of dive parks, we gained insights into some of the fascinating research being undertaken around the globe to better understand our maritime past. 

In this news piece, we travel to Tallinn, Estonia's capital, and get to see the ongoing excavation of a medieval shipwreck discovered during coastal development. The team are also believed to have found the oldest compass whilst excavating the site! This is the second medieval merchant ship found in the area, back in 2015 another ship was discovered, and is now on display in the Maritime Museum, h...

This month an exhibition about the ground-breaking Phoenician Shipwreck Project is being held at the National Museum of Archaeology in Valletta, Malta. The ship was found in 110 metres of water and dates back to the 7th Century BC. It is the first archaeological excavation by divers in more than 100m of water, not only is the site revealing more secrets about the Phoenicians but it is also breakin...