Archaeologists uncovering Herod harbour

Press, 2 August 1983, Page 19

Archaeologists uncovering Herod harbour

From

GALINA VROMEN,

Reuter,

in Caesarea, Israel

Archaeologists are slowly uncovering a harbour built by King Herod at the time of Christ’s birth.

With the help of 100 volunteer divers from 10 nations, they have been exploring Sabastos harbour, built to serve the port city of Caesarea. Its engineering sophistication may also teach a few things to modern builders. The archaeologists work in frog suits under two metres of water, equipped with special pumps to clear away the sand covering the Mediterranean harbour and a nearby shipwreck. Archaeologists have occasionally battled the sea, but never before with such a large team and rarely in order to wrest the secrets of an ancient harbour, according to the project’s directors. “Everything takes 20 to 30 times longer to do under water, and, unlike archaeologists on land, we often have to fight off seasickness,” says Robert Hohlfelder, a director of the project. As the divers work near the surface, they get tossed about by the waves.

The project, organised by the Haifa University’s centre for maritime research in Israel, involves professors from Victoria University in Canada and the University of Maryland, as well as Hohlfelder, who teaches ancient history at Colorado University. Maritime experts say the harbour, completed in 9 BC after 12 years of building, was better designed than other Mediterranean

ports where goods could not be loaded during winter storms.

Salt from the Dead Sea, and perfumes and spices brought by camel caravans from the far east, were exported from there to Europe. The ancient historian Josephus Flavius described the harbour as “free always from the waves of the sea,” decorated by large statues perched on high columns and equipped with numerous towers and quays. Two massive breakwaters, 600 and 200 metres long, enclosed a basin area of 21 hectares. Experts think that as many as 100 ships at a time could dock.

“Even by today’s standards the harbour is an engineering marvel that could serve as a useful textbook case for engineering students,” Hohlfelder says. A small arch-shaped outer breakwater, protruding out to the sea from the main breakwater, helped to keep the water in the inner basin unusually calm. Only recently, Israeli engineers came up with a similar double breakwater system to improve the modern-day port of Ashdod. Special channels cut into the breakwater at sea level allow waves to flow gently in, raising the water within the harbour above that of the outside sea. This results in an undercurrent at the harbour’s main entry which flushes out sand, effectively preventing silting.