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- Off the coast of northern Turkey, 311 feet (95 meters)
below the Black Sea, explorer Robert Ballard has discovered remains of
an ancient structure that was apparently flooded in a deluge of biblical
proportions. The find may lend credence to a theory that a Black Sea flood
gave rise to the Noah story and other flood legends.
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- Today Ballard, famous for finding Titanic, confirmed
that his research team, sponsored in part by the National Geographic Society,
has identified a wooden structure on a gently sloping shelf near the convergence
of two submerged ancient river beds.
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- "This is an incredible find," Ballard said
in a telephone call to the National Geographic Society from the expedition
ship Northern Horizon. "It consists of [the remains of] a single building
with a hewn beam and wooden branches that formed the walls and roof of
a structureØmost likely a house. We have also found and photographed
stone tools, possibly a chisel or an axe, and ceramic storage vessels,
all untouched since the flooding of the Black Sea."
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- The find represents "the first concrete evidence
for the occupation of the Black Sea coast prior to its flooding,"
says expedition archaeologist Fredrik Hiebert, of the University of Pennsylvania
Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. "This is a major discovery
that will rewrite the history of civilizations in this key area between
Europe, Asia, and the Middle East."
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- The wooden structure is the only building sighted so
far during the expedition. As the search continues, the team hopes that
additional finds will suggest a settlement pattern along the ancient coastline.
Using sonar profiles, Ballard's team has identified more than 50 potential
search areas similar to the site of the structure.
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- IN SEARCH OF NOAH'S FLOOD
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- Last year, Ballard and his colleagues found proof that
a catastrophic flood inundated the Black Sea in the region north of Turkey.
The place and date of the floodØwhich may have occurred around 5,500
B.C.Øcorrespond to the time and location of the Old Testament account
of Noah.
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- Following a theory proposed by marine geologists William
Ryan and Walter Pitman, Ballard searched for evidence that the Black Sea,
originally a freshwater lake, filled rapidly with salt water spilling from
the Mediterranean Sea about 7,500 years ago through what is now the Bosporus.
The flood, apparently the result of thousands of years of meltwater collecting
in the Mediterranean following the end of the last ice age (about 12,000
years ago) would have spread over an area of land the size of Costa Rica.
The flood may have buried coastal settlements as it engulfed the ancient
landscape.
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- During the 1999 expedition, Ballard's team discovered
a submerged ancient shoreline with a flat beach area beneath about 550
feet(168 meters) of waterØevidence supporting Ryan and Pittman's
theory.
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- Radiocarbon dating and paleontological evidence from
a sample of shells and sediment collected from the site suggested that
a massive flood occured about 7,500 years ago. However, carbon dating using
marine life is notoriously vague. Dates can be off by several hundred years.
Dating a sample of wood from the site would provide a much-needed confirmation
for Pitman and Ryan's proposed flood date.
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- Among the sediment samples was a piece of obsidian, which
was used by people in the ancient Near East to shape blades and arrows.
Hoping that the obsidian suggested the presence of humans, Ballard returned
this year to search for signs of human occupation.
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- SIGNS OF LIFE
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- Early last week, using the remotely operated vehicle
(ROV) Argus, Ballard's team spotted a rectangular feature about 12 meters
(13 yards) long and 4 meters (4.4 yards) wide at the intersection of two
ancient inland river channels . It appeared to be made of wood. Though
intrigued, they were forced to wait for the arrival of the more nimble
ROV Little Hercules, whose superior video capability enabled the crew to
get closer to the structure and get a much clearer look.
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- Through Little Hercules' robotic eyes, on Friday the
team looked again at the mysterious structure, and confirmed it was a type
of dwelling. "The building [has] carved wooden beams, wooden branches,
and stone tools collapsed among the mud matrix of the structure,"
Ballard said.
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- Archaeologist Hiebert noted the presence of a stone axe,
which looked exactly like one in a Sinop archaeology museum, located just
40 miles (64 kilometers) from the find.
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- The structure was likely made of wattle and daubØa
framework of wooden sticks covered with mud or clay. This type of construction,
with wood supports sunk firmly into the ground, would account for the fact
that the wood was not carried away by floodwaters. As the waters rose,
the mud probably melted away, leaving the wooden "bones" behind.
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- Though the structure does not lie within the Black Sea's
anoxic "dead zone," the site is well preserved due to its proximity
to those deep, oxygen-free waters. Such proximity might have prevented
wood-consuming organisms from devouring the site as they would likely have
done in shallower waters.
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- THRILL OF DISCOVERY
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- "The excitement aboard the ship is unbelievable,"
said nationalgeographic.com producer Sean Markey in a telephone call from
the Northern Horizon.
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- Markey joined the expedition to chronicle the search
for evidence of human habitation in the preflood landscape of the Black
Sea. Finding any signs of human occupation was a long shot for the team,
which had planned to devote just two weeks to the search.
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- All of that has changed, says Markey, who reports that
the team on the Northern Horizon is working "around the clock to search
other potential locations, and photograph and map the search areaØand
look for signs of ancient artifacts."
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- If Ballard's team gets permission from the Turkish government,
they may take a sample of the wood for dating. This would not only confirm
the date of the structure, but help to establish a more precise date for
when the flooding of the Black Sea took place.
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- "I expected to write it off," said Ballard
shortly after the team first spotted the remains of the structure with
the ROV Argus. "I've never seen anything like that before, and I've
seen a lot of things."
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- Says Markey, "this was the long shot, and it turned
out to be the winner."
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- The expedition will continue to file dispatches from
the Black Sea as new discoveries are made. Check Ballard & the Black
Sea for updates.
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- Comments? Contact the writer Lisa Krause, or nationalgeographic.com
news editor David Braun.
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- (c) 2000 National Geographic Society _____
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- Ballard Gets Green Light To Recover Black Sea Artifacts
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- By Staff Reporter http://www.forteantimes.com/index3.html
9-19-00
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- Turkey's Minister of Culture, Istemihan Talay, has granted
the National Geographic Black Sea expedition a permit to recover artifacts
from the sea floor, the Society announced September 19.
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- The permit was presented to Society Executive Vice President
Terry Garcia at a news conference attended by Turkish TV and print media
in Ankara, on Tuesday. Alpay Tasinli, director general of the General Directorate
of Monuments and Museums of the Ministry of Culture, Terry Garcia, and
chief archaeologist of the Black Sea project Fredrik Hiebert also participated.
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- The announcement by the Turkish government comes on the
heels of Robert Ballard's discovery of what appears to be remnants of human
habitation more than 300 feet (nearly 100 m) below the surface of the Black
Sea, approximately 12 miles (18 km) off the Turkish shore. Evidence suggests
these people must have thrived in a coastal setting before a catastrophic
flood inundated the area many thousands of years ago.
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- Ballard, famous for discovering the wreck of the Titanic,
startled the world a week ago with the announcement that he had found the
remains of a building with a hewn beam and wooden branches that formed
the walls and roof of a structureØmost likely a house. His expedition
also found and photographed stone tools, possibly a chisel or an axe, and
ceramic storage vessels.
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- Evidence of human settlement on the submerged shoreline
gives credence to the theory that a massive floodØbelieved to have
been caused about 7,500 years ago when the Mediterranean broke through
what is today the BosphorusØcaused the people living around what
was then a fresh-water lake to abandon their homes in a hurry. There has
been conjecture that the rapidly rising water level may have been the basis
for the story of the biblical flood. It is hoped that the remnants of the
abandoned settlements will shed light on the ancient civilization.
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- "We are pleased to be working closely with the Turkish
government toward our mutual scientific goals. We are grateful for their
prompt action on this matter," said National Geographic Society President
John Fahey.
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- Ballard said he was delighted that the permit had been
granted. "We can now move forward to the next phase of the expedition,
which is the dating process to establish the age of the artifacts we recover.
I thank the Minister of Culture and the Turkish government for their collaboration,"
he said.
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- The schedule for the recovery of any artifacts has not
yet been set. The expedition is due to conclude at the end of September.
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- (c) 2000 National Geographic Society.
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