Abstract

The appearance of mud in the harbor of the Outer Basin of King Herod's harbor at Caesarea Maritima provides important evidence for dating when this installation was actually in use. Mud could only have accumulated when the breakwaters were functioning as intended, creating a basin protected from the wave energy of open sea. Previous efforts to date the deposition of the mud from material culture found in this sedimentological stratum have not been conclusive, owing to the vagaries of excavating beneath the sea. A method of more controlled excavation, employing hollow metal cylinders or caissons, was attempted in 1990. The methodology proved successful, although an unexpected summer storm ended the experiment before meaningful data could be recovered.

Full Text
Published version (Free)

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call