~_o THE DIGGING STICK - The South African Archaeological Society

far more widespread in Neolithic times: their preservation in western Ireland is due in part to being
buried in peat, and in part to the raw materials (stone rather than, say, hedgerows) used in their
development. Excavations continue, and the fields are proving to be more extensive than previously
thought and not grouped in discrete clusters.
PHOENICIAN SHIP ON THE
WOL TEMADE FLATS?
Dear Editor,
It is an interesting thought that
the remains of an ancient
vessel from the Mediterranean
may lie here at the
Cape, but it will need more
than radiocarbon dating and
a survey of local history to
arouse interest among the
general, non-political, public
[Wilson, The Digging Stick
August 1993; Hromnick, The
Digging Stick April 1994].
Firstly, has the species of
wood from which the finds
were made been positively
identified? I know that this
can be done at the Jodrell
Laboratory in Kew Gardens;
and expert opinion may also
be available in South Africa.
If the wood is found to be exotic,
such as Cedar of Lebanon
(Cedrus libani), then we are
getting somewhere, because
this was an item of trade as
early as the Egyptian Old Kingdom,
and certainly used fo r
oars in the boat buried near
the Pyramid of Cheops about
2600 BC. * Very much secondly
(for this would only
show the timber to be old, and
from a ship) are the pieces
worked into recognisable
shapes for ship construction,
and by the correct tools? I
mean fragments of strakes,
thwarts, trenails, etc., shaped
by adze and with holes bored
by an auger. A marine archaeologist
could check out these
factors by sight and touch.
Yours sincerely,
Captain Steven Banks RN
FRSA
* Johnstone, P. 1980. The seacraft
of history. Routledge and Kegan
Paul. pp 72, 81.
Editor's comment: See article by Tim Hart and Oave Halkett (this issue). Readers might be
interested in an article by Oavid Gibbins in the Illustrated London News (Christmas 1993:
Vol281 (7116):72-73) on the excavation of a Bronze Age wreck off the coast of Turkey. Dating
from the late 14th/early 13th century BC, when the Mycenaean Greek civilization was
flourishing, its study is demonstrating unexpectedly early foundations of a Mediterranean maritime
tradition. 'The techniques of ship construction, the hull size, the types of cargo goods and
receptacles, and the merchaot's weighing equipment would all have been familiar to Roman and
Byzantine traders almost 2000 years later.' The 12 tonnes of cargo and stone ballast being
excavated provide unique insights into Bronze Age trade pattems. Of interest to Africanists is that
amongst these items are logs of African blackwood ebony, probably from upper Egypt, while
other exotic raw materials include whole sections of elephant and hippopotamus tusk, several hippo
teeth, and five ostrich eggshells, 'perhaps intended as the bowls of cups to be reinforced
with silver or gold'.
FROM THE EDITOR
To Or Margaret Avery we owe enormous gratitude for the way she has shaped this newsletter
and brought it to new heights during her five and a half year spell as editor.
At the recent Southern African Association of Archaeologists' Conference, emphasis was g i v en to
the need for popularizing the methods and findings of archaeology in South Africa. As
museums continue to integrate archaeology into their education programmes (see Lita
Webley's article, this issue), some exciting new ventures, such as comic-strip archaeology, were
outlined. The Digging Stick, for its part, aims to keep you ever informed of local
developments in archaeology.
We continue to rely on your support by way of contributions and suggestions. Please send
material to: Oavid Morris, McGregor Museum, P.O. Box 316,8300 Kimberley, South Africa. Fax:
0531-29311.
Membership enquiries: The Assistant Secretary, P.O. Box 15700, 8018 Vlaeberg.
Editor: David Morris. Published by the South African Archaeological Society, P .0. Box 15700, 8018 Vlaeberg, South
Africa. Word-processed by D. Morris and S. Mngqolo and typeset by D. Coetzee, courtesy of the McGregor Museum.
Printed by Swift Print, Kimberley.
The Dififiinr; Stick 11 (2) 12 ISSN 1013-7521