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A recently discovered artificial stone mound on the northern shore of the Dead Sea is a maritime feature exposed by the drying of the lake. Lake-level fluctuations, a loose silt bottom, lack of natural anchorages, and onshore prevailing winds, prevented the long-term planning, construction and maintenance of shore-based harbour installations in this area. This and a similar mound nearby, Rujum el Bahr, are interpreted as structures once used for open-water mooring, providing a firm anchor-hold over a range of lake levels and wind directions. As such, they enabled the use of this economically and strategically important part of the lake by maritime traffic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Visual examination and advanced analytical techniques were used to re-examine the large Hellenistic bronze naval ram found in 1980 at Athlit Bay, south of Haifa, Israel. The aim was to reevaluate the method used to manufacture this massive bronze casting. In contrast to an earlier study of the ram that suggested that it was manufactured using the sand-casting method, a technique not otherwise known prior to the late Medieval period, the current study suggests that the ram was manufactured by the lost-wax technique commonly used during the Classical and Hellenistic periods. Newly gathered data point to a selective use of the direct and indirect lost-wax casting methods to manufacture different parts of the ram, and allow postulation of the innovative use of the direct lost-wax casting method to fulfil the ram design requirements. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]