Our goal was to further investigate the waters of the Black Sea and adjacent land areas in search of evidence of an ancient flood, habitation sites that might have been inundated by the flood and perhaps even shipwrecks dating back several millennia. Our base of operations was the ancient seaport of Sinop located on the coast of the Black Sea in northern Turkey. There I had the opportunity to observe the archeology being conducted on the land and work on the boats that were conducting the underwater search. I also served as photographer, computer operator, web-site operator, and general gopher. The University of Pennsylvania's investigation of this area has been going on since 1996 and gains new momentum each year. The 1999 and planned 2000 expedition are concluding the first stage of research and the information revealed is now being prepared for publication. In 1998, underwater sonar surveys conducted by the University team, indicated a number of promising sites, some of which might be ancient ships. Other sites were observed underwater which could not be easily explained.

In early 1999, William Ryan and Walter Pittman, eminent geologists at Columbia University, published their book Noah's Flood. Their thesis was that about 5,600 BC, the Black Sea was flooded with waters from the Aegean Sea via the Sea of Marmara through the narrow waterway we now know as the Bosphorus. The Black Sea would have filled quite rapidly rising at a rate of about 6 inches per day. The entering salt water would have covered the ancient shoreline to a depth of about 500 feet and the elevated salinity would have destroyed all life in then fresh water Black Sea. This would have been a catastrophe of monumental proportions. Could this have been Noah's flood chronicled in the Book of Genesis and the Gilgamesh epic? If so, perhaps there remains evidence of a past and forgotten civilization and it is the archeologist's task to find it! It should be noted that at a depth of several hundred feet, there is virtually no oxygen in the waters of the Black Sea thereby preventing deterioration of organic items. Quite obviously this year there was much excitement about what our remotely operated vehicles (ROV's) would find and film.

Our team consisted of scientists from the University of Pennsylvania, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the Institute for Nautical Archaeology (INA) at Texas A&M University, Harvard University, the Institute for Exploration (IFE), and the National Geographic. Film crews from the National Geographic and reporters from National Public Radio were on site. Robert Ballard of IFE, discover of the sunken ocean liner Titanic and many other ancient ships, led the undersea exploration. Professor Fredrick Hiebert of UPenn was the chief land archaeologist. He has extensive knowledge of Black Sea Trade routes as well as the ancient Silk Road. Dr. George Bass, pioneer of underwater archeology, visited the expedition for several days. Come along for a virtual expedition of the 1999 adventure that employed leading edge technology to shed new light on ancient mysteries. top

Dr. Fredrik Hiebert

Meet a real live Indiana Jones, Dr. Fred Hiebert. A professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Museum of Anthropology, Dr. Hiebert is a world-renowned archeologist and anthropologist. He has traveled all over the world and conducted archeological research in many exotic places including present-day Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Bahrain. He speaks several languages including French, Arabic, and Russian. With the opening of Former Soviet Union in the early 1990s there as been a surge of interest in the west to explore archeological sites in Central Asia. Some of Dr. Hiebert's projects include:

Uzbekistan Exhibit

An exhibit of the treasures of Uzbekistan that recently opened (11/99) at the University of Pennsylvania's Arthur Ross Gallery. Most of the artifacts had never left Uzbekistan let alone come to the United States. The displayed artifacts represented the span of history of Uzbekistan, a crucial link in the ancient Silk Road. The artifacts in the exhibit demonstrate highly sophisticated artistry in tiles, medal objects, pottery, and woven items.

Pumpelly

When I started working for Dr. Hiebert in the spring of 1999, my primary job was to scan much of this 1903-1904 material into an electronic database so it can be analyzed and preserved for the ages.

In 1903, a US interdisciplinary expedition led by a famous geologist named Raphel Pumpelly explored Central Asia. It was one of the first scientific expeditions funded by the Carnegie Foundation. It was an interdisciplinary expedition that included agronomists, geologists, paleontologists, and archeologists. A photographer was also in tow. This was quite unusual for the times. Their objective was to survey the geographic, geologic, and cultural resources of this region. Pumpelly was an American geologist who had traveled the world extensively identifying promising mineral deposits. Late in his life he recognized that a gap existed in the geological understanding of central Asia. He wanted to find out how Central Asia's steppes and deserts were formed. Through his geologic recordings, Pumpelly realized that this area of the world was not the arid land that it is today. In fact much of it had been covered with large lakes and grasslands in the not- too distant past. Human activity in this area at a very early time was to be expected. Through archeological digs at a site called Anau near Ashabat. the present day capital of Turkmenistan, Pumpelly uncovered artifacts from a civilization contemporary with the earliest items discovered in Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Indus Valley. Pumpelly worked to prepare the evidence that he had found a new cradle of civilization. Because he was a not a recognized archeologist and his activities were only a passion in his later years, the archeological community discounted his evidence. Pumpelly's age and the fact that Russian closed its borders in 1905 to all westerners prevented follow up investigations. Pumpelly published his work in two major reports that have long languished in the library stacks. His field notes, artifacts and original photo's were presumed lost in a house fire shortly after his death (1923) Only recently did Dr. Hiebert recover some of Pumpelly's primary materials including some photographs never previously published.

Black Sea Trade Project

Another effort Dr. Hiebert is engaged in is the Black Sea Trade Project. The objective of the project is to bring archeological understanding to Central Asia and the Ancient Silk Road to the forefront. The Black Sea region is the last parts of this route that extended from China across Central Asia to Europe. The Black Sea Trade Project started four years ago and has gained momentum ever since. All archeological operations for the University of Pennsylvania are based out of port town of the Sinop which is located on the center of the North Coast of Turkey. Since the project was unable to obtain an official excavation permit in 1999, this year's effort consisted of walking surveys, which are conducted, by walking fields. Anything that looks like an artifact is collected and recorded with a digital camera or with an artistic line drawing. Dr. Hiebert has been experimenting with an interdisciplinary approach to his survey. Instead of just focusing on the land he would try to see if underwater archeology could reveal new insights into ancient human activity along the Black Sea shore. Strong evidence, as described above, indicates that the present shoreline is only 5600 years old.

The observations of the past four years have been concluded and are now being analyzed in preparation for publication. This will form the basis for planning the 2000 expedition.
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