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China takes overseas archaeology from Silk Road to South America_我的网站
一 | LOS ANGELES -- By the time the scuba dive boat sank off the Southern California coast after catching fire, 34 people had been killed in the deadliest maritime disaster in recent U.S. history.The Labor Day tragedy in 2019 spurred changes to maritime regulations, congressional reform and civil lawsuits. Now four years later, a federal trial for the Conception's captain, Jerry Boylan, is set to begin Tuesday with jury selection in Los Angeles.It's been a long, frustrating wait for the families of those who perished. They say a judge's ruling that their loved ones should not be called “victims” at trial has only added to their pain. “The past four years have been like living in a nightmare that you don’t wake up from,” said Kathleen McIlvain, whose 44-year-old son Charles was killed. The 75-foot (23-meter) boat was anchored off the Channel Islands, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of Santa Barbara, on Sept. 2, 2019, when it caught fire before dawn on the last day of a three-day excursion, sinking less than 100 feet (30 meters) from shore. The National Transportation Safety Board blamed Boylan for the tragedy, saying his failure to post a roving night watchman allowed the fire to quickly spread undetected, trapping the 33 passengers and one crew member below. Those on board included a new deckhand who’d landed her dream job and an environmental scientist who did research in Antarctica, along with a globe-trotting couple, a Singaporean data scientist, three sisters, their father and his wife. U.S. District Judge George Wu on Oct. 12 granted Boylan's request to bar most if not all references to “victims” — which the captain's attorneys say is a prejudicial term that jeopardizes his right to a fair trial. It's the latest setback for the prosecution.A grand jury in 2020 initially indicted Boylan on 34 counts of a pre-Civil War statute colloquially known as “seaman’s manslaughter” that was designed to hold steamboat captains and crew responsible for maritime disasters. Each count carries up to 10 years in prison in a conviction, for a total of 340 years.Defense lawyers sought to dismiss those charges, arguing the deaths were the result of a single incident and not separate crimes. Prosecutors got a superseding indictment charging Boylan with only one count.Then in 2022, Wu ruled the superseding indictment failed to specify that Boylan acted with gross negligence, saying that was a required element to prove the crime of seaman’s manslaughter. He dismissed that indictment, forcing prosecutors to go before a grand jury again.Boylan is now charged with one count of misconduct or neglect of ship officer. The single count means he faces only 10 years behind bars if convicted.He has pleaded not guilty and denied any wrongdoing. His federal public defenders did not return The Associated Press' repeated requests for comment, and a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office declined to comment.Some of the dead were wearing shoes, prompting investigators to believe they were awake and trying to escape. Both exits from the below-deck bunkroom were blocked by flames. Coroner’s reports list smoke inhalation as the cause of death, though official autopsies were never conducted.What exactly started the predawn fire remains unknown. Early official scrutiny appeared to focus on a spot where divers plugged in phones and other electronics. But a Los Angeles Times story, citing a confidential report by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said the blaze began in a plastic trash can on the main deck though an official cause remains undetermined. Boylan and four crew members sleeping in the upper deck told investigators they tried to save the others but were ultimately forced to jump overboard to survive. Boylan made a mayday call at 3:14 a.m. just before abandoning ship.Dozens of family members have since formed “Advocacy34” to push for strengthened boating regulations. While seeking answers, they’ve comforted each other during loved ones’ missed birthdays and mourned each anniversary.“We have no idea when we’ll get those answers, or if we ever will,” McIlvain said.At the time of the fire, no owner, operator or charterer had been cited or fined for failure to post a roving patrol since 1991, Coast Guard records showed.The NTSB faulted the Coast Guard for not enforcing that requirement and recommended it develop a program to ensure boats with overnight passengers actually have the watchman.The Coast Guard has since enacted new regulations regarding fire detection systems, extinguishers, escape routes and other safety measures as mandated by Congress. But it has yet to implement a comprehensive safety management system after industry advocates pushed back, citing costs.Victims' families have sued the Coast Guard in one of several ongoing civil suits.Three days after the inferno, Truth Aquatics Inc., which belongs to the Conception’s owners, Glen and Dana Fritzler, filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles under a pre-Civil War provision of maritime law that allows it to limit its liability to the remains of the boat, which was a total loss. The time-tested legal maneuver has been successfully employed by the owners of the Titanic and other vessels, and requires the Fritzlers show they were not at fault.The couple's attorneys did not respond to requests for comment.In response to the families' outcry, federal lawmakers last year updated the Limitation of Liability Act of 1851 so owners can be held liable for damages regardless of the boat’s value afterward. The law is not retroactive, however, and will not apply in the case of the Conception.。
二 |
China is set to launch its first joint archaeological project in South America, following an agreement between Chinese and Peruvian institutions to study the ancient Caral civilization. The move marks a new milestone in the country's growing overseas archaeological cooperation.
The Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Peru's Caral Archaeological Zone under the Ministry of Culture, and the Professional School of Archaeology at the National University of San Marcos signed a cooperation agreement on Saturday to conduct research on the ancient Caral civilization.
The Caral civilization, which is considered to be the oldest civilization discovered in the Americas, emerged along Peru's northern coast and dates to around 3000 BC to about 1800 BC.
The project marks China's first joint archaeological initiative in South America, expanding its overseas archaeological footprint to four continents: Asia, Africa, Europe and South America. It also encompasses cooperation with Belt and Road partner countries, major centers of ancient civilizations and regions crucial to the study of human origins.
For Chinese archaeologists, the project represents a new step in overseas archaeological engagement and international cooperation, fostering mutual learning and dialogue among civilizations, Chinese experts said.
Cooperation beyond borders
In recent years, Chinese institutions have participated in a series of overseas archaeological projects, from exploring ancient cities along the Silk Road to studying early civilizations in Africa and Central Asia.
They not only brought Chinese expertise and talent, but also advanced Chinese technologies, equipment and solutions, experts said.
In February, a significant archaeological breakthrough has emerged from Mit Rahina in Giza, the site of ancient Memphis in Egypt, where a joint Chinese-Egyptian mission has uncovered a limestone structure believed to be connected to the temple of King Pharaoh Apries from Egypt's 26th Dynasty (664-525 BC), according to the Xinhua News Agency.
Zhang Hai, head of the Chinese team and an archaeologist from Peking University, told the Global Times in a previous interview that the Chinese contingent applied distinctive methods for documenting and recording finds, while deploying Chinese-developed technologies such as the "4D kankan Meta" 3D scanner for precise, real-time topographic and sectional modeling, plus specialized software for capturing dislocated stone elements in 3D to aid future digital restoration and preservation.
In the latest China-Kazakhstan joint archaeological project, Chinese equipment and technologies played an important role in the team's discoveries.
Building on the excavation, the archaeological team used drones and the "I Survey" mobile field documentation system to conduct systematic surveys around the excavation area. The survey covered more than 10 burial grounds and documented more than 50 Pazyryk-era tombs.
Pazyryk culture flourished from the late sixth century BC to the third century BC, Shao Huiqiu, a professor at the Collaborative Research Center for Archaeology of the Silk Roads, Northwest University, told the Global Times.
According to Shao, who is the Chinese lead for the China-Kazakhstan joint archaeological project, none of the tombs had previously undergone formal excavation, giving them significant research potential. The use of these technologies has enabled the team to carry out more efficient and comprehensive surveys of the area,
During the China-Kazakhstan joint archaeological project, archaeologists have recovered a number of important artifacts, including human remains, pottery, gold foil pieces, horse bones and iron horse equipment.
The finds have provide valuable material evidence for studying the burial practices, funerary customs and material culture of the Pazyryk culture in the Lake Markakol region, said Shao.
Researchers also conducted regional surveys around the excavation area, documenting more than 50 Pazyryk-era tombs.
Through the joint archaeological project, China and Kazakhstan have gained a deeper understanding of Bronze Age to Early Iron Age archaeological remains in the Lake Markakol basin, according to Shao.
In 2027, the two sides will continue excavations at key sites and burial grounds identified during the survey, while advancing regional archaeological investigations, data analysis, multidisciplinary research, young archaeologist training and academic exchanges.
Archaeological exchanges
China's overseas archaeological cooperation has also become a platform for broader exchanges among researchers and civilizations.
Such projects, experts say, are helping expand archaeological research beyond national borders and provide new perspectives on exchanges among ancient civilizations.
China's overseas archaeology has grown alongside its broader participation in global cultural heritage protection.
The National Cultural Heritage Administration's cultural heritage development plan through 2030 calls for expanded archaeological cooperation in Austronesian-speaking regions, trans-Himalayan areas, and routes connected to the Silk Road and Maritime Silk Road, reported Xinhua.
The plan seeks to strengthen the methods used to trace Chinese cultural artifacts overseas, and advance efforts to retrieve lost cultural relics.
It also pushes for greater Chinese participation in global cultural heritage governance and expanded international partnerships, including new protection cooperation agreements with more countries worldwide, according to Xinhua.
In these joint collaborations, researchers from different countries bring together their expertise in regional archaeology and fieldwork, conducting exchanges on archaeological surveys, excavations, multidisciplinary research and regional cultural studies. Such cooperation has strengthened mutual learning and laid a foundation for long-term partnerships, according to Shao.
The China-Uzbekistan cooperation has established research centers in Samarkand and Termez to support studies on human-environment interactions and cultural heritage. The initiative has also trained professionals in Silk Road archaeology, scientific research and heritage conservation through programs for Uzbek universities and research institutions, while promoting international academic exchanges to advance Silk Road heritage protection and cultural cooperation, noted Zhu Jiangsong, a member of the China-Uzbekistan joint archaeological team from the School of Cultural Heritage, Northwest University.
Through these partnerships, Chinese archaeologists are not only contributing technology, research experience and training, but also gaining first-hand materials and fresh perspectives that help advance the study of ancient civilizations and enrich China's archaeological research.
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