Mohamed Khedr – Fieldwork Bursary – 2021

Santo Hieronimo Shipwreck Excavation – Croatia – October 2021. 

The Santo Hieronimo ship was owned by Jerolim Benedikt Primoević from the Maritime Republic of Ragusa (Dubrovnik, Croatia), the vessek sank at the entrance of the Bay in the Island of Šipan in 1576. Systematic excavation of the wreck started in 2014; this project aims to understand the shipbuilding philosophy behind the conception, technology, and construction of post-medieval vessels that sailed the Adriatic Sea. In addition, comparing the hull remains to identify design transfers between Adriatic, Mediterranean, and the Atlantic Oceans.

The main role for me and all the team was to discover a new part of the ship using the airlift, to remove the sand layer. In addition, documenting (photographing & measurements) the recovered finds such as wood, lead, concretion…etc.

With regards to what I learned from the project, first of all how to remove the old geotextile to be able to start the work, and how I can manage the work regards to the main objective of the season work, and that has benefited me to be able to work in such projects in Egypt such as the Sadana Island Shipwreck Project.