Michael Arbuthnot
Encyclopedia
Michael Alexander Arbuthnot (born 8 June 1974) is an archaeologist, instructor and archaeological film-maker.
. He specialized in underwater archaeology and graduated Magna Cum Laude.
Arbuthnot is an active member in many professional organizations, including: the Registry of Professional Archaeologists (RPA); the Florida Archaeological Council (FAC); the Southeastern Archaeological Conference (SEAC); the Florida Anthropological Society (FAS); the American Academy of Underwater Sciences
(AAUS); and the St. Augustine Archaeological Association (SAAA).
In addition to being the author of many published articles and papers, Arbuthnot is considered an authority on submerged prehistoric sites. He focused his thesis on paleo-environmental change and the impact it has on archaeological sites in the Gulf of Mexico.
Arbuthnot’s research has been presented at many conferences, including the Society for American Archaeology
, the Northeast Florida Symposium on Underwater Archaeology, the annual meeting of the Florida Anthropological Society, and the Southeastern Archaeological Conference. The results of his research in the Caribbean are now exhibited at the George Town Museum on Grand Cayman Island.
, located in historic downtown St. Augustine, Florida
. There, he teaches his students about the fascinating world of archaeology
, which included a field expedition to the RMS Titanic. He hopes to set aside the boring impression people have of archaeology, saying, “People have this idea of archaeologists sitting there with a brush and a toothpick, but it can be exciting.”
Arbuthnot’s trip to the Titanic took him 12,600 feet below the ocean’s surface. James Cameron
, the producer, writer, and director of the movie “Titanic” recruited Arbuthnot in 2005 to work on the first systematic archeological survey of Titanic’s internal bow structure. Findings from this survey were shown in the Discovery Channel
special “Last Mysteries of the Titanic” and will exhibited as part of the Titanic Legacy Database Project presently in development with the non-profit digital historic preservation organization, CyArk
.
Team Atlantis has explored and surveyed many sites around the world, including:
“Not only is Mike Arbuthnot the Writer/Producer, but he is rapidly becoming one of the most recognizable archaeologists in the United States. As a young professional archaeologist and former college professor, Arbuthnot has been featured on ABC, Discovery Channel and the Learning Channel. Most recently Arbuthnot conducted the first archaeological survey of the famous shipwreck R.M.S. Titanic with film maker and explorer James Cameron on Discovery Channel’s televised event, Last Mysteries of the Titanic. He continues to excite audiences and historians alike by blending ancient history and archaeology with filmmaking.”
As stated previously, artifacts were first found in the early 1900s. Children would return to the shore from playing in the shallow water with small stone bowls. Scuba diving became increasingly popular in the 1950s, leading to more exploring around La Jolla. Due to this exploration, more than 2000 artifacts have been recovered. Some date to more than 5000 years ago. At least 34 submerged sites have been discovered in places as deep as 30 meters. Some scientists believe that La Jolla is an entire sunken village. In “La Jolla’s Sunken City,” Arbuthnot and Faires explore several hypotheses concerning how these objects were originally deposited, and they reveal never before seen artifacts.
Arbuthnot had trouble at the beginning of the expedition, but was eventually successful in finding artifacts at La Jolla. According to the CineForm article on La Jolla:
Their success was aided by the help of a small octopus. A diver was tracking it, when the octopus stopped behind a round stone. This ‘stone’ turned out to be a beautiful stone bowl, which eventually led the team to discovering a total of six artifacts in 20 feet of water. Arbuthnot speculates that these ancient finds date to between 4,000 and 7,000 years ago!
Arbuthnot presently serves as Assistant Vice President and Division Manager of Archaeology, dive supervisor, and principal investigator for underwater archaeological projects at Environmental Services, Inc. (esinc.cc), a significant cultural resource company in Florida.
Education and Awards
Michael A. Arbuthnot received his Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy and minor in Anthropology from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1996. He holds a Master’s Degree in Anthropology from Florida State UniversityFlorida State University
The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
. He specialized in underwater archaeology and graduated Magna Cum Laude.
Arbuthnot is an active member in many professional organizations, including: the Registry of Professional Archaeologists (RPA); the Florida Archaeological Council (FAC); the Southeastern Archaeological Conference (SEAC); the Florida Anthropological Society (FAS); the American Academy of Underwater Sciences
American Academy of Underwater Sciences
The American Academy of Underwater Sciences is a group of Scientific organizations and individual members who conduct scientific and educational activities underwater...
(AAUS); and the St. Augustine Archaeological Association (SAAA).
In addition to being the author of many published articles and papers, Arbuthnot is considered an authority on submerged prehistoric sites. He focused his thesis on paleo-environmental change and the impact it has on archaeological sites in the Gulf of Mexico.
Arbuthnot’s research has been presented at many conferences, including the Society for American Archaeology
Society for American Archaeology
The Society for American Archaeology is the largest organization of professional archaeologists of the Americas in the world. The Society was founded in 1934 and today has over 7000 members. The Society holds an annual conference and publishes the flagship journal of American archaeology,...
, the Northeast Florida Symposium on Underwater Archaeology, the annual meeting of the Florida Anthropological Society, and the Southeastern Archaeological Conference. The results of his research in the Caribbean are now exhibited at the George Town Museum on Grand Cayman Island.
Titanic
Michael Arbuthnot is currently a faculty member at Flagler CollegeFlagler College
Flagler College, is a private four-year liberal arts college in St. Augustine, Florida, USA and celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2008.The college has been named in recent years by US News & World Report as one of the southeast region's best comprehensive liberal arts colleges, and is included on...
, located in historic downtown St. Augustine, Florida
St. Augustine, Florida
St. Augustine is a city in the northeast section of Florida and the county seat of St. Johns County, Florida, United States. Founded in 1565 by Spanish explorer and admiral Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, it is the oldest continuously occupied European-established city and port in the continental United...
. There, he teaches his students about the fascinating world of 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...
, which included a field expedition to the RMS Titanic. He hopes to set aside the boring impression people have of archaeology, saying, “People have this idea of archaeologists sitting there with a brush and a toothpick, but it can be exciting.”
Arbuthnot’s trip to the Titanic took him 12,600 feet below the ocean’s surface. James Cameron
James Cameron
James Francis Cameron is a Canadian-American film director, film producer, screenwriter, editor, environmentalist and inventor...
, the producer, writer, and director of the movie “Titanic” recruited Arbuthnot in 2005 to work on the first systematic archeological survey of Titanic’s internal bow structure. Findings from this survey were shown in the Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
special “Last Mysteries of the Titanic” and will exhibited as part of the Titanic Legacy Database Project presently in development with the non-profit digital historic preservation organization, CyArk
CyArk
CyArk is a 501 nonprofit organization located in Oakland, California, United States. The company's website refers to it as a "digital archive of the world’s heritage sites for preservation and education"...
.
Team Atlantis
Arbuthnot founded Team Atlantis Productions in 1996. The name, of course, is a play on the mythical underwater city of Atlantis. Arbuthnot defines Team Atlantis, saying, “TA is a multi-disciplinary outfit whose mission is to explore archeological mysteries with an emphasis on those enigmas associated with underwater contexts.” Because underwater archeological sites usually have some connection with sites on land, Team Atlantis is not restricted to only underwater locations.Team Atlantis has explored and surveyed many sites around the world, including:
- EgyptEgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
(1996): Here, Arbuthnot and his team traveled extensively along the Giza Plateau. Arbuthnot developed his Orion Pyramid Theory while in Egypt.
- Grand Cayman Island, Caribbean (1997): Arbuthnot participated in the mapping of the remains of the Geneva Kathleen, a schooner that sank in 1930.
- YonaguniYonaguniis one of the Yaeyama Islands. It is the westernmost inhabited island of Japan and lies from the east coast of Taiwan, between the East China Sea and the Pacific Ocean proper....
, Japan (1998): In Japan, Arbuthnot organized an expedition that examined the Yonaguni Monument and created a film documentary of the experience.
- Cat Island, Bahamas (2000): Team Atlantis journeyed to the Bahamas to explore the possibility of ancient shorelines submerged in the shallow water of the Great Bahama Bank.
- The Gulf of MexicoGulf of MexicoThe Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
(2000): Arbuthnot and other members of Florida State University’s Program in Underwater Archaeology excavated submerged prehistoric sites and shipwrecks under the direction of Dr. Michael Faught.
- YucatánYucatánYucatán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Yucatán is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 106 municipalities and its capital city is Mérida....
, MexicoMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
(2000): Team Atlantis explored Mayan ruins at Tulum and Chichen Itza and digitally documented their trip.
- La Jolla in San Diego, California (2005): Underwater artifacts were first discovered here in the early 1900s. Team Atlantis decided to make a trip to California to investigate. The team discovered a total of six artifacts, including a stone bowl, dated 4000 to 7000 years ago. This contributes to the already over 2000 artifacts recovered in this area of at least 34 submerged sites.
More about La Jolla
Team Atlantis Productions plan to open the eyes of the public to archaeological mysteries off the coast of San Diego through their show, “La Jolla’s Sunken City.” Michael Arbuthnot, the Writer/Producer of the show, paired with Director/Editor David Faires, to take underwater cinematography to new depths.“Not only is Mike Arbuthnot the Writer/Producer, but he is rapidly becoming one of the most recognizable archaeologists in the United States. As a young professional archaeologist and former college professor, Arbuthnot has been featured on ABC, Discovery Channel and the Learning Channel. Most recently Arbuthnot conducted the first archaeological survey of the famous shipwreck R.M.S. Titanic with film maker and explorer James Cameron on Discovery Channel’s televised event, Last Mysteries of the Titanic. He continues to excite audiences and historians alike by blending ancient history and archaeology with filmmaking.”
As stated previously, artifacts were first found in the early 1900s. Children would return to the shore from playing in the shallow water with small stone bowls. Scuba diving became increasingly popular in the 1950s, leading to more exploring around La Jolla. Due to this exploration, more than 2000 artifacts have been recovered. Some date to more than 5000 years ago. At least 34 submerged sites have been discovered in places as deep as 30 meters. Some scientists believe that La Jolla is an entire sunken village. In “La Jolla’s Sunken City,” Arbuthnot and Faires explore several hypotheses concerning how these objects were originally deposited, and they reveal never before seen artifacts.
Arbuthnot had trouble at the beginning of the expedition, but was eventually successful in finding artifacts at La Jolla. According to the CineForm article on La Jolla:
Their success was aided by the help of a small octopus. A diver was tracking it, when the octopus stopped behind a round stone. This ‘stone’ turned out to be a beautiful stone bowl, which eventually led the team to discovering a total of six artifacts in 20 feet of water. Arbuthnot speculates that these ancient finds date to between 4,000 and 7,000 years ago!
Currently
Arbuthnot has worked on underwater archaeology projects in Florida, North Carolina, Georgia, and the Caribbean since 1997. He has surveyed, mapped, excavated, interpreted and analyzed artifacts, and published reports on a variety of diverse archaeological sites. He continues his work, based mainly in Florida. He also functions as Newsletter Editor for the Florida Archaeological Council.Arbuthnot presently serves as Assistant Vice President and Division Manager of Archaeology, dive supervisor, and principal investigator for underwater archaeological projects at Environmental Services, Inc. (esinc.cc), a significant cultural resource company in Florida.