Dive & Dig

By: Honor Frost Foundation
  • Summary

  • Welcome to Dive & Dig presented by Bettany Hughes and Dr Lucy Blue, the podcast that takes you on an underwater journey deeper than you might ever have imagined! We'll take you down into an undiscovered world of our ancient past thanks to the technology which makes deep diving possible today. And we'll show you some amazing archaeological discoveries when we get there.
    Honor Frost Foundation 2022 618298
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Episodes
  • Bob and the Warrau Canoes
    Sep 25 2024
    Travel with Professor Lucy Blue to the village of Imbotero, Guyana to meet Dr Robert (Bob) Holtzman an expert in traditional boatbuilding to learn about the Warrau dugout canoe. Twice daily tides in the tropical mangrove swamp mean canoes are essential for survival of the indigenous Warrau people. Not only are they used for transportation, but also for foraging in the forest for land crabs, fishing and visiting neighbours. Over two field seasons Bob paddled around the villages in a canoe observing how the Warrau connect to their environment and fashion their canoes. Learn how these canoes - that can be up to 10 meters long, are hollowed out of a single tree trunk using chainsaws and adzes by skilled artisans. And, why a consistent thickness achieved by eye, feel and even sound is crucial to the final stages when it is placed over a fire to expand the wood allowing it to be spread apart without cracking, capturing the boat making techniques of this art before they are lost in the tide of modernisation.
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    21 mins
  • A Race Against the Thames: Saving the London Shipwreck
    Aug 21 2024
    Professor Lucy Blue delves into the wreck of The London, a 17th century warship, with diver and licensee Steve Ellis. The ship exploded and sank in the Thames Estuary in 1665 and was rediscovered in 2005 when a ports authority survey was being conducted. Since 2010, Steve has been directing the survey of the vessel and recovering artefacts with permission from Historic England. A Second Rate vessel in the English Navy, The London was carrying 76 guns and a mix of over 300 crew and family readying to join a fleet preparing to fight in the Second Anglo-Dutch War, when tragedy struck. This significant archaeological site offers insights into 17th-century naval warfare, however despite it being a protected wreck of great historic value, there has been little funding or support from government sources. Over 1200 finds have been recovered and Steve will reveal his most recent discovery that is truly remarkable.

    A special thanks to Mark Beattie-Edwards and the Save the London campaign for their wonderful support in helping to continue to dive this site.

    Find out more about the London Shipwreck Project here: https://www.facebook.com/TheLondonShipwreckproject

    To donate, please visit the project website: https://thelondonshipwreckproject.com/save-the-london/

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    21 mins
  • Ayn Soukhna: Piecing Together the Puzzle
    Jul 10 2024
    Professor Lucy Blue speaks with associate Professor in Egyptology, Dr Claire Somaglino from the Sorbonne, about two decades of excavation at the site of Ayn Soukhna at the northern end of the Red Sea in the Gulf of Suez. During Pharaonic times, this important site was occupied over an extensive period, as not only was it close to the important centre of Memphis, but there was a spring, an oasis with trees and a sheltered anchorage, making it a perfect harbour. Rock inscriptions led to its discovery and seasons of excavation have revealed it was a hive of activity with workshops, dwellings, redox furnaces for processing ore and galleries housing some of the oldest seagoing vessels in the world. Discover how the boats were used to bring food to the mining areas of the South Sinai and returned with copper ore required for making tools and precious turquoise, which was fashioned into jewellery prized by the Pharaohs.

    Ayn Soukhna is an Egyptian-French excavation (dir. C. Somaglino, M. El-Weshahi), supported by : IFAO, CNRS, Sorbonne University, Suez Canal University, and the Honor Frost Foundation.

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    19 mins

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