Franck Goddio
Encyclopedia
Franck Goddio is a French underwater archaeologist. After studying at the École Nationale de la Statistique et de l'Administration Économique
in Paris, from which he holds a degree in mathematics
and statistics
, Franck Goddio held key positions as advisor for national and international organizations and various governments for over 15 years. In the early 1980s he decided to focus entirely on underwater archaeology
and founded in 1987 the Institut Européen d'Archéologie Sous Marine (IEASM) in Paris.
and Napoleon Bonaparte's flagship Orient
.
Some of his most important discoveries have been parts of the ancient submerged Royal Quarter of Alexandria
in 1996, the lost city of Heracleion
, suburbs of Canopus
in the Bay of Aboukir, in the year 2000.
Franck Goddio adheres to strict archaeological standards during the exploration and excavation phases and works in close co-operation with national and local authorities, leading archaeological experts and institutions. In 2003, in co-operation with Oxford University, the Oxford Centre for Maritime Archaeology was founded. In 2009, Franck Goddio was appointed a Senior Visiting Lecturer within the School of Archaeology at Oxford University. In the same year he received the decoration of the French National Order of the Legion of Honour (Légion d´Honneur).
Franck Goddio’s research projects have been financed by the Hilti Foundation since 1996. The underwater archaeologist is author of many books, scientific articles and publications where he reports on research projects and excavations. Several TV documentaries have been produced by Discovery Channel, Point du Jour and Spiegel TV and aired throughout the world. In addition, various exhibitions have presented the finds and made them accessible to a wide audience. The exhibition “Egypt’s Sunken Treasures” showcasing finds from Alexandria harbour and the sunken cities of Heracleion and Canopus attracted over 2.7 Million visitors in Europe (Berlin, Paris, Bonn, Madrid, Turin) and Japan (Yokohama). Since 2010 a selection of artefacts has been touring the USA with the exhibition “Cleopatra – the search for the last queen of Egypt”.
École Nationale de la Statistique et de l'Administration Économique
The École nationale de la statistique et de l'administration économique or ENSAE is one of the French Grandes Ecoles of engineering and a member of ParisTech ....
in Paris, from which he holds a degree in mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
and statistics
Statistics
Statistics is the study of the collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of data. It deals with all aspects of this, including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments....
, Franck Goddio held key positions as advisor for national and international organizations and various governments for over 15 years. In the early 1980s he decided to focus entirely on underwater archaeology
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
and founded in 1987 the Institut Européen d'Archéologie Sous Marine (IEASM) in Paris.
Biography
After many years of experience in detecting and recovering in ancient shipwrecks and in searching for the remains of sunken cities, Franck Goddio has developed and improved a systematic approach to underwater archaeology. In the last twenty years, Franck Goddio has found or excavated fourteen sunken ships of historic importance, which had been resting on the ocean bed for hundreds of years. Among them are Chinese junks dating from the 11th to the 15th century, the Spanish galleon San DiegoSan Diego (ship)
The galleon San Diego was built as the trading ship San Antonio before hastily being converted into a warship. On December 14, 1600, the fully laden San Diego was engaged by the Dutch warship Mauritius under the command of Admiral Olivier van Noort a short distance away from Fortune Island,...
and Napoleon Bonaparte's flagship Orient
French ship Orient (1791)
The Dauphin-Royal was an Océan class 118-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.During the French Revolution, she was renamed Sans-Culotte in September 1792, and eventually Orient in May 1795....
.
Some of his most important discoveries have been parts of the ancient submerged Royal Quarter of Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
in 1996, the lost city of Heracleion
Heracleion
Heracleion was an ancient Egyptian city near modern day Alexandria. It was known as early as the 12th century BC but its importance grew during the waning days of the pharaohs, the late period. Herakleion was Egypt's main port in the time of the pharaohs...
, suburbs of Canopus
Canopus, Egypt
Canopus was an Ancient Egyptian coastal town, located in the Nile Delta. Its site is in the eastern outskirts of modern-day Alexandria, around 25 kilometres from the centre of that city....
in the Bay of Aboukir, in the year 2000.
Franck Goddio adheres to strict archaeological standards during the exploration and excavation phases and works in close co-operation with national and local authorities, leading archaeological experts and institutions. In 2003, in co-operation with Oxford University, the Oxford Centre for Maritime Archaeology was founded. In 2009, Franck Goddio was appointed a Senior Visiting Lecturer within the School of Archaeology at Oxford University. In the same year he received the decoration of the French National Order of the Legion of Honour (Légion d´Honneur).
Franck Goddio’s research projects have been financed by the Hilti Foundation since 1996. The underwater archaeologist is author of many books, scientific articles and publications where he reports on research projects and excavations. Several TV documentaries have been produced by Discovery Channel, Point du Jour and Spiegel TV and aired throughout the world. In addition, various exhibitions have presented the finds and made them accessible to a wide audience. The exhibition “Egypt’s Sunken Treasures” showcasing finds from Alexandria harbour and the sunken cities of Heracleion and Canopus attracted over 2.7 Million visitors in Europe (Berlin, Paris, Bonn, Madrid, Turin) and Japan (Yokohama). Since 2010 a selection of artefacts has been touring the USA with the exhibition “Cleopatra – the search for the last queen of Egypt”.
Expeditions
- 1991 Spanish galleonGalleonA galleon was a large, multi-decked sailing ship used primarily by European states from the 16th to 18th centuries. Whether used for war or commerce, they were generally armed with the demi-culverin type of cannon.-Etymology:...
San DiegoSan Diego (ship)The galleon San Diego was built as the trading ship San Antonio before hastily being converted into a warship. On December 14, 1600, the fully laden San Diego was engaged by the Dutch warship Mauritius under the command of Admiral Olivier van Noort a short distance away from Fortune Island,... - 1996 - today: Sunken royal quarters of Alexandria’s eastern harbor
- 1997 Royal CaptainRoyal Captain (ship)The Royal Captain was a British East Indiaman launched in 1772 and lost in 1773 in the South China Sea. In 1999 an expedition discovered the wreck and salvaged some of her cargo....
of the British East India CompanyBritish East India CompanyThe East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China... - 1997 Chinese junk of the Lena shoal with ceramics of the Ming dynasty
- 1998/99 Napoleon’s lost fleet from the battle against Admiral Nelson in Aboukir Bay in 1798 and his flagship Orient
- 2000 - today: the sunken cities of Thônis-Heracleion and Canopus in Aboukir Bay, Egypt
- 2002 Chinese junk Santa Cruz with over 10,000 pieces of 15th century porcelain
- 2003 French slave ship Adelaide, which sunk in 1714 off the coast of Cuba
Documentaries
- Cleopatra’s Palace – In Search Of A Legend, Discovery Channel, 1999
- Napoleon’s Fleet, Discovery Channel, 1999
- Treasures Of The Royal Captain, Discovery Channel, 2000
- Sunken Cities, Ancient Earthquakes, Discovery Channel, 2001
- Lost Temple To The Gods, Discovery Channel, 2003
- Franck Goddio – In Search Of Sunken Treasures, Spiegel TV, 2006
- Treasures of The San Diego, rbb 2007
External links
- Franck Goddio official website
- Oxford Center for maritime Archaeology (OCMA)
- Exhibition: Egypt's sunken treasures
- Hilti Foundation
- National Geographic: Cleopatra exhibition
- The Franklin Institute: Cleopatra exhibition