The George F. Bass Lecture

A special lecture in honor of George F. Bass has been established by the Archaeological Institute of America. The Lecture is made possible by the generous contributions made by the members and friends of our sister organization, the Institute of Nautical Archaeology (INA).

Considered the father of underwater archaeology, Bass embarked on the first underwater excavation of an ancient shipwreck directed by an archaeologist at Cape Gelidonya, Turkey in 1960. He has since directed many such projects and excavations, written or edited ten books on the subject, and was the founding president of the Institute for Nautical Archaeology. His work on ancient shipwrecks has had a significant influence in current understanding of the role of Syro-Canaanite merchant seafarers in Late Bronze Age Mediterranean trade.

As a recipient of many honors such as the AIA's Gold Medal for Distinguished Archaeological Achievement and the National Medal of Science, Bass has been widely applauded for his unique contribution to this fascinating and growing branch of archaeological research. President George W. Bush commended Bass during the National Medal of Science Awards in 2001 for "pioneering ocean technology and creating a new branch of scholarship, nautical archaeology, thereby providing new knowledge of the histories of economics, technology, and literacy." George F. Bass is currently the Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Nautical Archaeology at Texas A & M University.

The inaugural lecture, to be held during the 2010–2011 season, is designed to highlight Bass’s pioneering work on the development of underwater archaeology excavation methods and research. We are delighted that his friends and colleagues chose to honor his work by establishing this lecture fund.

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