Shelley Wachsmann
What do you do?
I am a nautical archaeologist. That is, my area of research is ancient ships, seafaring practices, and aspects of the seafaring experience in antiquity, in its widest sense. I believe in a holistic approach to the past in which one tries to view it from as many different “directions” as possible. This includes everything from the excavation of ancient shipwrecks to the study of contemporaneous texts and depictions of ships (models, paintings, graffiti, and so on) that enlarge our understanding of man’s seafaring heritage. Each shipwreck is a fascinating time capsule with a cargo of information about bygone times and peoples.
Where do you work?
I teach at Texas A&M University’s Nautical Archaeology Program, located in College Station, Texas. My classes focus on seafaring in the Bronze and Early Iron Ages (circa 3000-1000 B.C.) and on biblical archaeology. My field research in Israel is carried out under the auspices of the Institute of Nautical Archaeology (INA).
What inspired you to do what you do?
The first book I remember reading as a child—after I got past “Look Jane, see Spot!”—was a children’s version of the Odyssey. Something about Odysseus’s seafaring adventures must have influenced me at a deep level. This was brought home to me several years ago, when my younger son, Yishai, asked me what my favorite color was.
“The wine-dark sea, of course,” I said without thinking. And then I wondered: Where on earth did that come from?
As a youngster trying to decide what to do with my life, I wanted a vocation that was both intellectually stimulating, but one that would also allow me to spend much of my time outdoors. Then I discovered archaeology.
Besides your work, what other interests do you have?
Recently I’ve begun studying pa kua chang, a form of internal Chinese martial art, which is closely related to tai ji quan. I’m also learning to ride. Last year I began work on my first novel, which I find particularly interesting and challenging.
What keeps you interested in your work?
I am blessed in that my vocation is my hobby. I cannot think of a better way to spend one’s life then in exploring our nautical heritage.
What goals have you set for yourself?
As far as fieldwork is concerned, I would like to discover and excavate a well-preserved Sea Peoples’ or Philistine shipwreck (circa 1200-1000 B.C.). Such a shipwreck, if properly excavated, would be an immense contribution to our knowledge of the past.
As for future publications, I would like to continue to popularize archaeology for the general public, so that others can enjoy the past as much as I do.
What resources can you suggest to the layperson interested in your field?
Books
Basch, L. Le Musée Imaginaire de la Marine Antique. Athens, 1987. (Comprehensive collection of Mediterranean ship iconography from earliest times to the end of the Roman period.)
Bass, G. Archaeology Beneath the Sea: A Personal Account. New York, 1976. (Outstanding personal account of how it all began by the “Father of Nautical Archaeology.”)
Casson, L. The Ancient Mariners: Seafarers & Sea Fighters of the Mediterranean in Ancient Times. Second Edition. Princeton, 1991. (Excellent popular review of Mediterranean seafaring in antiquity to the end of the Roman period.)
Casson, L. Ships & Seafaring in Ancient Times. Austin, 1994 (Popular review of ancient seafaring by a world authority.)
Casson, L. Ships and Seamanship in the Ancient World. Baltimore, 1995. (Reprint with Addenda and Corrigenda). (This timeless work of scholarship covers all aspects of seafaring, focusing primarily on the Greek Geometric through Roman periods.)
Encyclopedia of Underwater and Maritime Archaeology. Ed. J.P. Delgado. London, 1997. (Hot off the press! This volume contains numerous entries on shipwrecks worldwide, with references.)
History from the Sea. Ed. P. Throckmorton, London. 1987. (Popular review of some of the most significant shipwrecks and the contribution of nautical archaeology to our knowledge of the past.)
International Journal of Nautical Archaeology. (Scholarly journal dedicated to the results of nautical exploration.)
INA Quarterly (Journal dedicated to the results of nautical archaeological research by the Institute of Nautical Archaeology).
Wachsmann, S. The Sea of Galilee Boat: An Extraordinary 2000 Year Old Discovery. New York, 1995. (A personal popular account of my excavation of an ancient boat from the Sea of Galilee, which dates to about the time of Jesus. Winner of the Biblical Archaeology Society’s Award for Best Popular Book on Archaeology for 1995-1996.)
Wachsmann, S. Seagoing Ships and Seamanship in the Bronze Age Levant. College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 1998. (Textbook on Bronze Age seafaring that is scheduled for publication in spring 1998. The book deals thematically with ships of the various Bronze Age cultures bordering the eastern Mediterranean, as well as a number of specific aspects of seafaring. Copiously illustrated, with an extensive bibliography. Although scholarly in intent, I wrote the book in a style that will make it easily accessible to the layperson.)
Films
Probably the best film made on Bronze age seafaring is NOVA’s Voyage to Antiquity, concerning the discovery and excavation of the earliest seagoing vessel ever found, the Ulu Burun Shipwreck, found and excavated by INA off Turkey’s southern coast. This vessel sank circa 1305 B.C., or slightly later—only about two decades after the death of Tutankhamun.
In the same vein, I highly recommend George F. Bass’s cover article on the Ulu Burun Shipwreck, in NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC magazine (December 1987).
Web Links
Try http://nautarch.tamu.edu/ the Web site for the Texas A&M University’s Nautical Archaeology Program, and the Institute of Nautical Archaeology. This site has numerous links to related topics.
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