Episodios

  • S5 Ep3: Hand of a Giant: Discoveries from Abu Qir Bay, Egypt

    S5 Ep3: Hand of a Giant: Discoveries from Abu Qir Bay, Egypt
    Sep 24 2025
    One of the most remarkable maritime sites off the coast of Egypt is revealing monumental sculptures of extraordinary scale—some towering up to 20 metres, including a single hand measuring 40 centimetres across. Professor Lucy Blue speaks with Dr Mohamed Abdel-Maguid, senior archaeologist at the Underwater Antiquities Department of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, about the secrets of western Abu Qir Bay, located 30 kilometres east of Alexandria and west of the drowned ancient city and ports of Thonis-Heracleion. Once a military base, the area first came to light in the 1930s when Prince Omar Toussoun and the director of the Graeco-Roman Museum enlisted the help of local divers. Today, as modern development threatens the site, Mohamed and his team of eight divers are racing against the clock to document newly uncovered remains. Learn how this shallow site, dating between the 7th BC – 5th AD is challenging the team’s surveying and recovering skills. Yet each colossal granite statue, block, and smaller remains they record adds to the story of this once-thriving port and temple complex. Their work sheds new light on Egypt’s maritime past and highlights how the country is safeguarding its unique sunken heritage.
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    24 m
  • S5 Ep2: The Shipwreck Seeker: AI and Maritime Archaeology

    S5 Ep2: The Shipwreck Seeker: AI and Maritime Archaeology
    Aug 7 2025
    Artificial Intelligence (AI) is solving complex problems across a host of disciplines, here Professor Lucy Blue asks Dr Alexandra Karamitrou, Lecturer in Archaeology and AI, University of Southampton to outline its use in maritime archaeology. Alexandra explains how AI models can analyse multiple datasets, such as geophysical data and satellite imagery to identify potential shipwreck locations by recognising patterns associated with submerged features. Applications are many, including processing imagery to identify Crannogs, WWI and WWII wrecks, and offshore structures like oil rigs – crucial for the protection of the ocean environment as leakages of harmful substances can occur from ageing wrecks and rigs. Hear Alexandra’s views on how to ethically use AI and produce a more holistic picture of what our oceans comprise. Can you believe there are three million shipwrecks to be identified and recorded?
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    19 m
  • S5 Ep1: The Monoxylon Expeditions: Neolithic Boat Voyages

    S5 Ep1: The Monoxylon Expeditions: Neolithic Boat Voyages
    Jun 18 2025
    At the 6th Maritime Archaeology Graduate Symposium (MAGS) held in Ioannina, Greece, Professor Lucy Blue spoke with Radomír Tichý from the University of Hradec Králové, Max Šámal (Charles University of Prague) and Aleš Panáček (Archaeopark Všestary) about a series of expeditions called “Monoxylon”. Hear how a team of Czech experimental archaeologists successfully reconstructed and navigated a replica of an 8,000-year-old Neolithic logboat discovered with five other boats at La Marmotta, a submerged lakeshore settlement beneath Lake Bracciano near Rome. Based on the largest, made from an oak trunk measuring over 10 metres in length, it featured transverse reinforcements for hull stability. Additional objects discovered suggest the use of sails and the presence of obsidian tools from Milos, support the idea that these boats facilitated long distance trade and travel. The series of expeditions tested the seaworthiness of these ancient designs. Monoxylon IV was paddled by twenty-one crewmembers over 500 kilometres across the Aegean from the island of Samos to the Peloponnese demonstrating that Neolithic communities possessed not only the craftsmanship to fashion such sophisticated vessels, but also the navigational skills to undertake such maritime journeys. The voyages provided practical insights into early human migration, trade routes, and the spread of agricultural practices across the Mediterranean with a profound human story at the heart.

    For more information on this project visit the website (https://www.monoxylon.cz/en/), watch the teaser trailer for the upcoming documentary movie (https://youtu.be/6FkAuzf759U?feature=shared) and visit the project YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/…524)
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    26 m
  • S4 Ep4: Climate Change & Maritime Cultural Heritage: Wisdom and Hope

    S4 Ep4: Climate Change & Maritime Cultural Heritage: Wisdom and Hope
    Apr 30 2025
    In the last of a series on coastal archaeological sites and climate change, Professor Lucy Blue speaks to Dr Alex Kent, Coastal Connections Lead, a global partnership between English Heritage and World Monuments Fund. Learn how Hurst Castle, a coastal fort built on England’s southern coast is falling into the sea due to undercutting of the shingle due to storm surges and, like hundred of other sites globally, is suffering from the impacts of climate change. By bringing together communities around the world that face similar issues, hear how Coastal Connections network aims to share common challenges and a range of solutions, including nature based ones and innovative regional ones. Aided by a series of online workshops and discussions, it became clear that there are many similarities faced by sites around the world. Alex maps out the goals of Coastal Connections, including site information sheets, creating a worldwide network of coastal site managers and practionners sharing and showcasing solutions, as well as training hubs to equip across generations practical skills to sustainably manage heritage sites.

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    20 m
  • S4 Ep3: Climate Change & Maritime Cultural Heritage: Voices from the Sea

    S4 Ep3: Climate Change & Maritime Cultural Heritage: Voices from the Sea
    Mar 26 2025
    In the third of our four-part series on climate change and the threat to maritime cultural heritage, Professor Lucy Blue speaks to Dr Georgia Holly, Project Manager of the Cultural Heritage Framework Programme (CHFP), that sits under the umbrella of Ocean Decade Heritage Network (ODHN). Remarkably, it is the only programme that integrates the marine cultural heritage into the Ocean Decade and is recognised by mainstream ocean sciences. Discover how the CHFP engages with maritime cultural projects from around the globe and once a project is endorsed, it gets access to a whole host of benefits including training and networking, and support and visibility of the Network. Hear how SeaVoice, their online magazine champions projects by people who work and live near water and encourages us not only to appreciate these precious resources but inspires constructive action in terms of promoting and protecting marine cultural heritage.

    Dr. Georgia Holly thanks the CHFP and SeaVoice teams for making these projects and activities possible
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    17 m
  • S4 Ep2: Climate Change & Maritime Cultural Heritage: The Ocean We Want

    S4 Ep2: Climate Change & Maritime Cultural Heritage: The Ocean We Want
    Mar 13 2025
    Professor Lucy Blue speaks to Dr Athena Trakadas, Co-founder and Co-Chair of the Ocean Decade Heritage Network (ODHN) about the role of cultural heritage within the United Nation's Ocean Decade, as part of our mini-series on climate change and its impact on marine and coastal heritage. Hear how the Ocean Decade endeavours to bring marine cultural heritage experts together with the other ocean scientists. Sitting within the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-30), is an initiative of housed in the UN's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), and aims was set up to meet the goals of sustainable development, particularly goal STG SDG 14 – life under water - as part of the UN's 2030 Agenda. Whilst the value of cultural heritage might be intuitive to heritage practitioners working with communities that live on the sea, it was more difficult to demonstrate to others in the oceanographic sciences the necessity of addressing heritage. However, the inclusion of cultural heritage in the discussions expanded the number of societal outcomes of the Ocean Decade, and participation in conferences and policy forums has helped bring visibility to cultural heritage at the inter-governmental and national levels. Nonetheless, changes in policy and governance are still needed to create a more integrated, holistic, and sustainable approach, and working to change minds remains the biggest challenge! The hope is that the UN Ocean Decade will change perspectives and bring about the ‘Ocean We Want’ inclusive of cultural heritage.

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    18 m
  • S4 Ep1: Climate Change & Maritime Cultural Heritage: Storm Bombs & Climate Threats

    S4 Ep1: Climate Change & Maritime Cultural Heritage: Storm Bombs & Climate Threats
    Feb 5 2025
    Professor Lucy Blue asks Dr Colin Breen, Associate Head of School of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Ulster University to outline the issues of climate change and its impact on marine and coastal heritage, in the first of this new Dive and Dig Series that explores this pressing theme. Although the climate has been changing over many millennia, we are now seeing the pace of change occurring at a much greater rate together with increased intensity of storms, all driving loss to heritage in the coastal zone. Colin explains the impact of this destruction through a range of climate, as well as anthropogenic threats, and illustrates with examples from the North and East African coasts, the devastating impact of these storm bombs on the coastal and marine heritage. Colin emphasises the importance of documenting coastal heritage and assessing the impact of threat and potential preservation, a methodology being developed by the Arcadia funded MarEA project that he co-directs (https://marea.soton.ac.uk/). Not everything can be saved, however, might a joint nature-culture approach be a better way forward? Colin suggests that it is and that we must move out of our silos and create an integrated heritage network to protect and manage these precious resources.

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    15 m
  • Walking the Coast of North West Egypt

    Walking the Coast of North West Egypt
    Dec 11 2024
    Professor Lucy Blue is in Egypt with a team of specialists co-directing a project with the Universities of Southampton and Ulster as part of the MarEA (Endangered Maritime Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa) project. Together with experts from the Universities of Alexandria and Mersa Matruh, Egypt they are utilizing satellite imagery and other technologies to explore the western section of the north African coastline of Egypt. This approach has revealed an extraordinary number of ancient sites, many dating back over 2,000 years. The findings shed new light on the rich maritime history of the region, including trade, settlement, and cultural interactions along the Mediterranean coast. This large-scale survey is crucial for documenting and preserving vulnerable archaeological sites, many of which are under threat from modern development and environmental changes.

    Speaking with members of the team, including Dr Nicholas Ray, MarEA, Ulster University and Dr Ziad Morsy and Hagar Wafik from the Centre of Maritime Archaeology and Underwater Cultural Heritage, University of Alexandria, and Dr. Basma Khalili, a ceramic expert from the University of Mersa Matruh, we learn that the project has uncovered remarkable archaeological finds from pottery production sites to rock-cut tombs. Some of the discovered sites span several kilometres, highlighting the scale of these ancient settlements and hinting at the vibrant trade networks of the time.

    MarEA is a research project based in the University of Southampton and partners in University of Ulster, funded by Arcadia and the NW Egypt coastal survey is largely funded by the Honor Frost Foundation.
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    21 m