A Letter from the
I hope you enjoy this fifth volume of the INA Annual, showcasing 10 major projects carried out under the INA flag in 2011. Those readers acquainted with INA’s work around the world will recognize that more than a few of the projects in this issue are familiar—they are some of the many ongoing, in-depth, multi-year projects that characterize INA’s commitment to thorough excavation and meaningful scholarship. It is not uncommon for an INA excavation to last for many field seasons, drawing upon the expertise and dedication of colleagues and supporters around the globe. Two major INA shipwreck excavation projects in the Mediterranean drew to a close in 2011 after multiple summer field seasons: the Phoenician shipwreck at Bajo de la Campana, Spain, and the Hellenistic column wreck at Kızılburun, Turkey. The directors of these two projects are well aware what awaits them: years in the laboratory overseeing the conservation and reassembly of the artifacts they recovered; years in the library poring over publications from other sites to find the best parallels to help narrow the date of their own assemblages; many more years studiously measuring, examining, sampling and analyzing every last fragment of material culture in an effort to reconstruct the last voyage of the ship that has become a consuming passion of their own lives. As INA excavation directors, we know what awaits us at the post-excavation stage because our own colleagues—INA Research Associates and Affiliated Scholars—are living it every day, whether they are scrutinizing the construction techniques of exquisitely preserved ships from the Byzantine harbor at Yenikapı, Turkey, diving deep into the dusty manuscripts of the Venetian Archives, or recounting the heartbreaking loss-of-life that occurred when an Ottoman frigate was destroyed by a typhoon in the Sea of Japan at the end of a year-long voyage. Other INA projects are consuming and challenging for other reasons, whether it be the ongoing search for remnants of a battle that represents a defining moment in Vietnamese history, or the seemingly insurmountable task of recording, preserving, and protecting the riverine relics of one of North America’s most evocative spectacles—the Yukon Gold Rush. Whatever aspects of maritime history or nautical archaeology speak to you most, I am confident that you will find something of interest in this volume of the INA Annual. When we’re not in the field, we’re working hard to improve the INA experience and grow our membership. In the last year we’ve made key improvements to the INA website, including online access to past issues of the INA Quarterly, new project blogs, more content highlighting relevant publication titles, and an in memoriam page honoring those who have shaped both the field and the organization. We have revived our photographic and video fulfillment system with a dedicated archivist, have added new merchandise to INA’s online store, and we are continuing the conversation with friends of INA around the globe through our social media efforts on Facebook. As always, I value your support of INA research; history depends on INA and we depend on you.
Dr. Deborah Carlson President, INA
2011 in Review The INA Annual 2011
President
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