Hecht Museum. Haifa. Israel.

The Reuben and Edith Hecht Museum at the University of Haifa was inaugurated in 1984. It was the initiative of the late Dr. Reuben Hecht, founder of the Dagon Silos in the port of Haifa and a founding member of the University of Haifa Board of Governors. The founding of the Museum that was to bear his and his wife's name may be cited as Dr. Hecht's crowing achievement in support of the University. He had previously established the Reuben Hecht Chair for the Study of Zionism and History and the Herzl Institute for Research and Study of Zionism. From his youth, Dr. Hecht was interested in the archaeology of the Land of Israel, and for a period of sixty years he assiduously collected archaeological artifacts representing the material culture of the Land of Israel in ancient times. He took special interest in finds from the Canaanite period to the end of the Byzantine period, a time of great significance for the Jewish people. Dr. Hecht, who was known for his Zionist activities, believed that archaeology was an important expression of Zionism and that the discovery of ancient artifacts was proof of the link between the Jewish people and the Land of Israel.

The Permanent Archaeological Exhibition is based on the collection of the Museum's founder, who donated it to the university. The layout of the Hecht Collection is based upon two principles: that the displays are presented both didactically and chronologically and that the collection continues to highlight the Israelite period, thereby remaining faithful to Dr. Hecht's vision.

Part of the Hecht Collection is integrated into a display arranged in chronological sequence, beginning with the Chalcolithic period and ending in the Byzantine period. Another part is integrated into a display arranged chronologically and thematically. Coins, seals, weights, jewelry, toys, oil lamps, and the 'seven species' are all exhibited with particular emphasis on two collections: Jewish coins and inscribed seals from the Biblical period. The museum's collection of ancient seals is one of the largest and most important in the field.

About two years before his death, Dr. Hecht began planning an expansion of the Museum, but he died in April 1993, before he could see the realization of his intentions. The management of the University of Haifa and the directors of the Hecht Foundation, however, continued with this initiative, and the new wing of the Museum was inaugurated in October 1998. The permanent displays in the new wing are thematic and based both on archaeological artifacts from the Hecht Collection and those on loan from the Israel Antiquities Authority. The latter include finds from excavations conducted by the University of Haifa.

The permanent thematic displays:

Phoenicians on the Northern Coast of Israel in the Biblical Period – This display stresses the role of the Phoenicians as sea-going traders and focuses on their contribution to marine architecture and the technology of harbor engineering.
Ancient Crafts and Industries – The focus of this display is on seven ancient crafts and industries: metalworking, woodworking, stone vessels, glassmaking, mosaic art, the art of writing, and the physician's craft.
The Ma'agan Mikhael Ancient Ship – The 2,400-year-old ship, its anchor, and part of its cargo are all on display.

The Art Wing of the Museum was inaugurated in early 1989. Displaying artwork from the Hecht Family Collection, this wing presents important trends in art, beginning in the 19th century. Its emphasis is on Impressionism and the work of Jewish artists in the School of Paris. Included in this collection are works by Van Gogh, Manet, Monet, Pissarro, Soutine, and Modigliani.

It might seem that the art collection is very distant in place, time, and content from the archaeological collection, but Dr. Hecht did not think so. Both the art and archaeological collections were linked to his concept of Zionism. In his view, the two movements, Impressionism and Zionism, marked the end of one period and the beginning of another; both were rooted in tradition and in the past, but led toward the future.

The new wing contains a grand and acoustically superior auditorium that seats 380. A pipe organ, which was put together from parts of organs used in churches in Israel more than a century ago, was also installed, a gift of Dr. Hecht. Its sonorous tones reflect the traditional quality, rich variety, and romantic style of 19th-century organs. As a lover of culture, Dr. Hecht hoped that the addition of the auditorium would make the Museum a center for cultural events, complementing its special atmosphere and character, which combine art and archaeology.

The Hecht Museum, in addition, serves as a study and research center for students and academic staff, as well as a venue for enrichment studies in the fields of archaeology, art, history, and the Bible for school pupils, soldiers, teachers, and all other members of the community. The Museum holds an annual competition in the plastic arts for high school pupils, soldiers, and students in the University's Department of Fine Arts. The Hecht Foundation grants scholarships to winners of these competitions, and awards fellowships to M.A. and Ph.D. students in the Departments of Archaeology and Maritime Civilizations. The Museum holds conferences, symposia, seminars, and lectures and publishes catalogues of its exhibitions of archaeology and art.

Michmanim, the museum's annual publication, publishes scholarly articles on archaeological research and on artifacts in the Museum Collection.

Ofra Rimon,
Museum Director and Curator



UNDERWATER ARCHEOLOGY.

Introduction
News in Progress of the Reassembly
Building a Replica

Introduction Ships are unique. A ship is a microcosm of political, economic, cultural and technological activity. Why do we deem the discovery of a ship so significant? It serves as a bridge between different cultures and peoples carrying goods, ideas and technologies. As the sea is a bridge between cultures, so is the ship the means of carrying and diffusing that culture. Comprehending the technological achievements embodied in the building of a ship, its navigation, its method of propulsion, its loading capacity and its constant confrontation with the elements is a major task. Until very recently, the structure of ancient ships was a subject relying on literary descriptions and artistic iconographic representations. However, with the progress of nautical archaeology research, we can now handle a ship's hull itself, enabling us to begin to understand the magnitude of the achievements of the ancients. Such was the case with the Ma'agan Mikhael Ship - a fortuitous discovery accompanied by a dramatic touch of coincidence. The ship was found off the shore of Kibbutz Ma'agan Mikhael, a settlement situated approximately 30 km south of Haifa on the Israeli coastline, where three decades earlier, maritime archaeology in Israel was initiated. Oddly enough, this stretch of sandy sea bottom had not shown any signs of significant archaeological relics, even though the sea along this stretch of coast had served as the training ground for naval divers who joined the Archaeological Undersea Exploration Society of Israel and therefore spent many hours underwater while practicing search and survey techniques for archaeology. In August of 1985, a member of the Kibbutz, Ami Eshel, was returning late one afternoon from a dive along the coast. Some 70 meters offshore, at a depth of less than 1.5 meters of water, he came across a pile of large stones. He spotted pottery sherds and several pieces of wood protruding from the sand. The stones were not typical of the region and the pottery appeared ancient. In addition, it became immediately clear that the 'finger' of wood protruding from the sand reached much farther down than he could uncover with his bare hands. Thus it occurred to him that he may have stumbled upon much more. Following customary procedures, he notified a representative of the Israel Antiquities Authority of his finds, and went to find Dr. Elisha Linder, the maritime historian/archaeologist who lives on the kibbutz. Linder realized that the find was an intact, 2,400-year-old wooden-hulled merchantman, originally 13.5 meters in length and 4 meters in width, in a remarkable state of preservation. It was lying perpendicular to the shore where it had, for reasons still unknown, been beached. The excavation process took place over three seasons, from 1988 to 1989. It was carried out by a team of nautical archaeologists and technical staff from the Recanati Institute for Maritime Studies at the University of Haifa, who were joined by specialists and advisors from Israel and abroad. Jay Rosloff from the U.S.A served as the field director. A substantial portion of the wooden hull structure survived. Among the artifacts found aboard were 70 items of ceramic ware, ropes, a lead ingot, a set of wooden carpenter's tools, 12 tons of rocks, mainly blue schist and Gabro, and - lying in position in the sandy bottom, although it had not actually been used - a perfectly intact, one-armed wooden anchor, unique in its style, its ropes still attached.
News in Progress of the Reassembly Where planks had become distorted, they have been reshaped. Each piece of planking, after being submerged for a night in PEG at 60°C to render it flexible, was eased into the original shape and held in place using battens and clamps. This jigsaw puzzle was made easier by the original labeling (stainless steel needles and Dymo tape), which survived the years of the conservation process and all the handling to which the parts were subjected. The remaining pieces will be put in place when an overhead gantry is installed to allow the assembly team to work inside the hull while being suspended from above.
Building a Replica of the Ma'agan Mikhael Ancient Ship In order to advance the study of shipping in antiquity and to extend our knowledge of the Ma'agan Mikhael Ship, the plan is to build a replica of this ship. It will be built by an identical method of "shell-first construction," with similar materials to those utilized by the ancient shipwright. The intention is to sail this replica across the Mediterranean Sea, making use of ancient navigation means and methods. Similar replication ventures of historical ships have been undertaken in other seafaring countries: our Greek colleagues constructed a full-scale replica of the 4th century BCE merchantship discovered and excavated near Kyrenia, Cyprus. The Danes built replicas of Viking ships at the Maritime Archaeological Museum and Research Center in Roskilde, Denmark. Students and scientists of various maritime study disciplines, from Israel and from different countries bordering the Mediterranean shores, will board the Ma'agan Mikhael Ship replica along its sailing route. Thus, this ancient new ship will also serve as an ambassador of goodwill and peace and enhance collaboration with neighboring countries. With the establishment of a laboratory workshop for students studying maritime archaeology, a truly unique opportunity has been created: namely, that both students and researchers can be totally involved in the building of a replica of the Ma'agan Mikhael Ancient Ship. The workshop will impart to the students the academic/technical/mechanical skills required for investigating methods in this field and presenting physical replicas and academic reports.
Photos: Itamar Grinberg Visita en 360º : link