U.S., Israeli Universities Open Marine Archaeology Research Station
UC San Diego archaeologist Tom Levy (right) and University of Haifa archaeologist Assaf Yasur-Landau in diving gear prior to conducting an underwater survey of an ancient site near Akko, Israel.
On April 20, a binational team of U.S. and Israeli archaeologists inaugurated a new field station in the Mediterranean coastal town of Akko (historically known as Acre) in northwestern Israel. The virtual opening ceremony unveiled the joint University of Haifa-University of California San Diego Marine Archaeology Research Station.
Funding for the Akko facility is part of a $1.3 million gift from the San Francisco-based Koret Foundation, announced in February 2020. The three-year grant supports binational U.S.-Israeli collaboration in marine archaeology between UC San Diego and the University of Haifa.