WorldWide Drilling Resource

25 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® MAY 2018 Roman Engineering and a New Harbor Basin Revealed in Ancient Harbor Compiled by Caleb Whitaker, Associate Editor WorldWide Drilling Resource ® Secrets of the Roman Empire's ancient harbor of Corinth and a new harbor basin have been revealed in a series of underwater excavations, core drillings, and surveys. The Lechaion Harbour Project, a collaboration between the Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities in Greece, the University of Copenhagen, and the Danish Institute at Athens, conducted the study at the port of Lechaion. The port was one of a pair which connected the city of ancient Corinth to Mediterranean trade net- works. These two strategic harbors made Corinth a classical period power, but the Romans destroyed the city in 146 B.C. when conquering Greece. Julius Caesar rebuilt the city and its harbors in 44 B.C. Several centuries of prosperity followed before Lechaion was mostly destroyed in the 6th or early 7th century A.D. by a massive earthquake. visitors to the coastline today can see the foundations of two large structures forming the outer harbor, but otherwise the remains are buried under centuries of sediment. Excavations have revealed a host of artifacts including seeds, bones, fishing lines, hooks, wooden pulleys, and ceramics imported from Tunisia and Turkey. The team also discovered two monumental moles constructed with five-ton stone blocks, along with a smaller mole, two areas of wooden caissons, a break- water, and an entrance canal leading into Lechaion’s three inner harbor basins. The stone block structures of the moles are impressive feats of engineering, but the wooden caissons and pilings used as foundations revealed information about the process of harbor construction. The caissons acted as barges, built for the purpose of being sunk together with their concrete cargoes. This formed a solid foun- dation capable of holding back the force of the sea along this highly exposed stretch of coast. Finding the caissons was sur- prising because wooden artifacts rarely survive the centuries, but buried underwater deposits are one of the few places where organic materials can be preserved. Even though the archaeological work at Lechaion is located in shallow water, it presents several significant challenges. It is a highly active marine environment, which causes the excavation trenches to fill quickly with sediment from waves. To aid the project, geoarchaeologists conducted a sediment study, using core drilling and drone surveys to map the coastal changes in the area, resulting in the surprising discovery of a new harbor basin. The sediment study showed how the harbor silted over time, revealing which areas would have been accessi- ble in different periods. The project is using DNA analysis to understand the genetic landscape of the trees, plants, and animals which inhabited the region 2000 years ago. The information will one day allow for a reconstruction of Lechaion in each time period. Archaeologist documents a wooden caisson, courtesy of the University of Copenhagen. ENV Atlantis Vault • Self-Contained • Simple installation • Trouble-free operation For more information call: (270) 786-3010 or visit us online: www.geothermalsupply.com Open the Doorway to all the Event Photos during VWWA 2018. To see all the photos from this event, go to www.worldwidedrillingresource.com or click here. Feel free to download at will and print the photo(s) of your choice. Compliments of WorldWide Drilling Resource ® . Photos are copyrighted and released for personal use only - no commercial use permitted.