Nissia: My favourite maritime archaeology fieldwork experience
In this short video, Crystal Safadi discusses the fieldwork she undertook at Nissia, Paralimni, Cyprus:
The Nissia Shipwreck is from the Ottoman period. It is located on the southeast coast of Cyprus. The shipwreck has been known about by the local diving community ever since the 1980s.
The MARELab of the University of Cyprus, in collaboration with the Department of Antiquities of Cyprus, undertook a research project on the site, for a number of reasons:
- the wreck has a high percentage of wooden hull preservation
- the wreck is exposed to natural deterioration processes
- the wreck is subject to looting and destruction.
The fieldwork season took place in September 2014. It consisted of an excavation of two trenches and the recovery of a cannon and many other finds. Students were trained in in situ preservation methods of organic material, and there was also the opportunity for public archaeology engagement with the local community. In all, this project brought together the different aspects of maritime archaeology in practice, including 3D digital recording methods.