Ramla tat-Torri and Gnejna Bay came in for some unusual interest over the past weeks when over 300 dives were made there as part of the activities of a workshop on underwater archaeology.
The workshop was held in Malta within the framework of the Euromed process, with the focus made on Ramla and Gnejna as two areas highlighted for research by the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage.
The project is directed by the University of Malta and Unesco and financed by the European Commission.
The course was the second to be held after the one in France in September 2002 in the bay of Villefranche sur Mer (Alpes Maritimes) and is aimed at training students from various parts of the Mediterranean in various techniques of underwater archaeology.
It was again organised by the Groupe de Recherche en Archéologie Navale (GRAN), a non-profit organisation with 20 years experience in the field. The course lays emphasis on various aspects including administration, practices and techniques of preparation as well as post-excavation techniques related to underwater archaeology.
Six Maltese students, three Algerians and one from France took part in the workshop, held between May 31 and last Friday. Besides training the students in archaeological techniques one of the other aims of the course was to create contacts and friendships that would serve for future cooperation in the field.
The workshop was made possible through the cooperation and help provided by the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage and the Malta Maritime Authority who supplied their survey vessel, Madonna Ta' Pinu, and the University of Malta. All logistics were coordinated by archaeologist Timmy Gambin.
Some of the participating students work or study at the Malta Centre for Restoration in Kalkara.
Besides the intensive fieldwork, which included over 300 dives, lectures and site visits were held under the supervision of some of the top experts in the field.
Certificates were presented to all participants by Joe Mifsud, head of the European Unit at the University of Malta.
Throughout the whole project, GRAN used its website to communicate the progress of the workshop on a daily basis in the form of a log.
www.archeonavale.org