THE AMPHORA
It was late July as Hans stepped into the temperate waters of the Aegean Sea. He thought of the thousands of years of history in this part of the world as he waded into deeper waters. He was on holiday, visiting friends in Izmir, Turkey. He had never been to this part of Europe and was pleased to be here. His foot embraced an object buried just beneath the surface of the sand. He thought it a rock at first, but the sharpness caused him to stop. He scraped the sand away with his foot, then bent over and reached down to the sea bottom. The sharp object was the corner of some kind of a handle, or so he thought. He was able to place his hand through and around the object and pulled. Nothing happened. He smiled to himself, thinking he had stumbled on an ancient treasure. He continued pushing the sand away with his foot. It was indeed a handle, attached to something. He wasn’t sure what it might be. He knew he would never find it again if he went to shore to get assista...