In the 1950s, George F. Bass earned a Master’s degree in Near Eastern archaeology from Johns Hopkins University, was a member of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, and participated in excavations at Lerna (Greece) and Gordion (Turkey). After serving his country in the Korean War (1957-1959), George went on to earn a Ph.D. in classical archaeology from the University of Pennsylvania (1959-1964).
In 1960, at the urging of his mentor Professor Rodney Young, George directed the first scientific underwater excavation of a shipwreck, at Cape Gelidonya, Turkey. For much of the 1960s, together with a growing team of talented volunteers that included Susan and Michael Katzev and Fred van Doorninck, George pioneered and refined the underwater archaeology toolkit at Yassıada, Turkey. In 1972, George left a tenured academic position at the University of Pennsylvania and founded the non-profit Institute of Nautical Archaeology (INA).
In 1976, Texas A&M University (TAMU) agreed to establish the Nautical Archaeology Program as part of the affiliation agreement between INA and TAMU. In selecting the original NAP faculty, George followed the same mantra that had served him so well in the field: “Never be afraid to surround yourself with people who know more about what you’re doing than you do.”
George retired from TAMU in 2000, having taught undergraduate courses in classical archaeology and graduate seminars in Bronze Age, classical, and medieval seafaring. During his 24 years on the NAP faculty, Bass chaired 34 master’s and eight Ph.D. committees. Believing as he did in the importance of educating graduate students in all aspects of an archaeological career, Bass designed a one-credit-hour seminar entitled “Old World, New World, Real World,” in which he tackled grant writing, fundraising, oratory, public outreach, and treasure hunting.
To read more about the award-winning career of Distinguished Professor Emeritus George Bass, Father of Underwater Archaeology, Founder of INA, and Founder of the Nautical Archaeology Program, click here.
