Honor Frost
Honor Frost (28 October 1917 – 12 September 2010) was a pioneer in the field of underwater archaeology, who led many mediterranean archaeological investigations, especially in the Lebanon, and was noted for her typology of stone anchors and skills in archaeological illustration.[1]
Early life
An only child, Frost was born in Nicosia, Cyprus. she was orphaned at an early age and became the ward of Wilfred Evill, a London solicitor.[2]
Career
Frost became a diver soon after Cousteaus's invention of SCUBA, and worked as a diver and artist in the early 1950s in France and Italy.[3] Her first experience of the underwater excavation of shipwrecks was with Frederic Dumas.[4] She met Joan du Plat Taylor at the Institute of Archaeology in London and in 1959 went on to work with Du Plat Taylor, Dumas and Peter Throckmorton An expedition in Turkey resulted in the discovery of a late Bronze Age shipwreck at Gelidonya, for which Frost is credited as having realised its significance. It was later the site of George Bass's and Peter Throckmorton's first work in underwater archaeology at Cape Gelidonya in the Antayla region of southern Turkey. The Bronze Age ship wreck, which dated to the 12th century BC, was the oldest known shipwreck in the world at that time.[5]
In 1968 she led an UNESCO expedition to survey the Pharos site in the Port of Alexandria, for which she was later awarded, in 1997, a French government medal for pioneering submarine archaeology in Egypt.[6]
From 1971 she led the investigation of the Marsala Punic Warship in Sicily, Italy[7]
In 2005, BSAC awarded her the Colin McLeod award for Furthering international co-operation in diving for her work in archaeology[8]
She died on 12 September 2010.[9]
Selected papers
- Under the Mediterranean: Marine Antiquities published by Routledge (1963, 1969)
- Diggings In The Deep in Saudi Aramco World November/December (1964) pp28–32
- Ancore, the potsherds of marine archaeology: on the recording of pierced stones from the Mediterranean In Marine Archaeology 1973, pp. 397–409.
- The Punic wreck in Sicily 1. Second season of excavation (1974), In International Journal Nautical Archaeology Volume 3 Issue 1 pp35–40 (1974)
- The Marsals Punic Warship
- The Pharos Site, Alexandria, Egypt International Journal of Nautical Archaeology, (1975) 4:126–130.
- When is a wreck not a wreck International Journal of Nautical Archaeology, (1976) vol 5 issue 2 pp 101–105
- Pyramidal Stone Anchors: An Enquiry in Institute of Nautical Archaeology (INA) TROPIS Volume 1 (1985)
- Where did they build ancient warships? in Institute of Nautical Archaeology (INA) TROPIS Volume 2 (1987)
- How Carthage Lost the Sea: Off the Coast of Sicily, a Punic Warship Gives up its Secret, Natural History, December 1987; 58–67
- Where did Bronze Age Ships Keep their Stone Anchors? in Institute of Nautical Archaeology (INA) TROPIS Volume 3 (1989)
- Old Saws Institute of Nautical Archaeology (INA) TROPIS Volume 4 (1991)
See also
Notes
- ↑ Norton (1999) p235, Shea (1981), Vagnetti (1998)
- ↑ "Obituary: Honor Frost". London: The Daily Telegraph, UK. 29 October 2010. Retrieved 30 October 2010.
- ↑ Hirschfeld p11
- ↑ Norton (1999) p. 235
- ↑ Hirschfeld pp11-12, Norton(1999) p. 234, pp. 248–252, 253–258
- ↑ UNESCO (1997); Dept. Culture; Hairy (2006)
- ↑ The Times (2004); Frost (1974), see selected papers
- ↑ BSAC (2005–2010)
- ↑ The Times, 17 September 2010; Gambin (2010)
References
- Bobak, Simon Letter to the Guardian on Honor Frost Obituary
- BSAC (2005–2010), Colin McLeod Award
- Castagnino Berlinghieri, E.F. (2011), "The charming Lady of the punic warship. Lady Frost, Honor and Pride of underwater archaeology", in Archaeologia Maritima Mediterranea, International Journal on Underwater Archaeology, 8, 2011, pp.213–218.
- Dept Culture (France), The Birth of Submarine Archaeology in Egypt
- Gambin (2010) Appreciation: Honor Frost in Times of Malta 22 September 2010
- Guardian 26 October 2010 Honor Frost Obituary
- Hairy, Isabelle (2006) The archaeological operation in The underwater site of Qaitbay – Methods and techniques
- Hirschfeld, Nicolle, Joan Mabel Frederica Du Plat Taylor (1906–1983)
- Norton, Trevor Stars Beneath the Sea Arrow Books, London 1999
- Shea, William, A Review Of Recent Data From The Region Of The Ark-Shaped Formation In The Tendurek Mountains Of Eastern Turkey Geoscience Research Institute 1981
- Telegraph 29 October 2010 Honor Frost (Obituary)
- The Times 7 August 2004 Lost Punic warships may rise in TV museum
- The Times, 17 September 2010, Honor Frost Obituary
- UNESCO (1997) International Workshop on Submarine Archaeology and Coastal Management
- Vagnetti, Lucia, Myceneans And Cypriots In The Central Mediterranean Before And After 1200 BC (1998) in Ancient Cyprus Web project
External links
- Treasures of the Sunken City NOVA broadcast of the Excavation of Alexandria
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