Dr. Matthew Harpster
Project Coordinator of the Kyrenia Shipwreck Collection Restoration Program
will be giving a talk titled
"The Kyrenia Shipwreck: Its History and Future Plans"
at the
Home for Cooperation on Thursday 9th February 2012
between 19:00 – 20:00.
Abstract:
The northern Cypriot coastline experienced a flurry of underwater archaeological activity beginning in 1967 including surveys, the development and testing of underwater magnetometers and metal detectors and, particularly, the excavation of the 4th-century BC vessel near the town of Kyrenia. As a result of events in the summer of 1974 and the subsequent political stalemate, however, all of this activity came to an unexpected and premature halt; archaeological activity in the northern portion of Cyprus since that time has been virtually absent. The vessel excavated near Kyrenia, once a nexus of this activity and a significant representative of it, has suffered from this political stalemate in a variety of ways. The management and curation of the assemblage has been intermittent due to limited resources, the exhibition is out of date, and material in storage needs further stabilization. Prompted by these issues, The Kyrenia Shipwreck Collection Restoration Program has begun, forming an international effort to stabilize, revitalize and reinvigorate all aspects of the Kyrenia vessel and the exhibit. The lecture will discuss the importance of the shipwreck excavated near Kyrenia, as well as the goals of this program.
A Short Biography of the Presenter
Dr Matthew Harpster earned his Ph.D. in 2005 from Texas A&M University, with a specialization in Nautical Archaeology. After a postdoctoral position at the Dibner Institute for the History of Science and Technology, he taught archaeology and underwater archaeology classes at Eastern Mediterranean University until 2010. He is currently the director of the Kyrenia Shipwreck Collection Restoration Program, which is an international effort to protect and revitalize the Kyrenia shipwreck collection.