浜辺の監視員が水中遺跡を発見

イスラエルのネタニヤの海岸で浜辺で勤務中の監視員(ライフガード）が鉄の碇を発見し、国家考古学当局に連絡をしました。簡単なサーヴェイが行われ、青銅器時代の碇なども発見されました。ほかの遺物も幾つかみつかっているそうです。時代の違う数種類の遺物があること、そしてアンカーの状況などから撹乱は少なく、この地点が何らかの理由で船の停泊に適していたことが伺えます。

この遺跡を発見した監視員は”ただ単に監視員としての仕事をしただけのことだ”と語っており、”きちんと調査をしないと歴史から消えてしまうからね”　彼は以前にもこの地方で水中遺跡を発見しています。

Ancient anchorage found at Netanya
By ETGAR LEFKOVITS
Israel.jpost.com

A Netanya beach lifeguard who stumbled on an iron anchor while out for a swim has led marine archeologists to uncover the first evidence of an ancient anchorage for sailing vessels in Netanya, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced Tuesday.

The lifeguard, Ofer Harmoni, 37, summoned the archeologists to the scene after noticing the iron anchor near the Netanya shore during a swimming workout two weeks ago.

The authority’s marine unit subsequently uncovered five large stone anchors dating back 4,000 years during an underwater survey at the site.

The anchors, which archeologists date to the late Middle Bronze Age, have a single perforation, are 0.9m high and 0.6m wide and weigh 150 kilograms each.

Two smaller stone anchors for small boats and two iron anchors which date to the Byzantine period (5th-7th centuries CE), were also removed from the seabed.

One of the smaller anchors was found in an upright position with one fluke embedded in the seabed, and the other anchor was found lying on the deck of a boat that had probably sunk there.

A small millstone that was probably used by the crew of the Byzantine boat was found nearby.

Kobi Sharvit, director of the Marine Unit of the Antiquities Authority, said that these were the first finds indicating the existence of an anchorage site for sailing vessels thousands of years ago in Netanya.

“The scattering of anchors along the seabed within such a limited area and the diversity of types and different periods demonstrates that this region was used as an anchorage for sailing vessels during antiquity,” he said.

Harmoni, who has served as a lifeguard at the beach since he was 17 and has previously found antiquities there, said that he was just doing his job. “This will go down in the history books,” he said.

引用元：http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1161811244809