Donald A. Frey, Ph.D.
Research Associate

When Don Frey first volunteered to work on the Roman shipwreck at Yassi Ada in 1969, he had no idea that he was on the threshold of beginning a 30-year relationship with George Bass and the Institute of Nautical Archaeology.  Don's academic training and experience up to that point was as a professor of physics, not as an archaeologist. After three months excavating the Roman shipwreck, he went back to teaching physics at Istanbul's Robert College, now Bogazaci University.  In 1971, Don returned to INA and initiated a series of surveys along the Turkish coastline with a side-scan sonar analysis of the seabed between Bodrum and Antalya.  In 1975, after participating in numerous archaeological projects in Greece and Turkey, Don became a research associate with the Institute and in the years following worked with INA at Lipari, Mombasa, Sheytan-Deresi, Yassi Ada, and the Turkish surveys.  In 1982 he became the president of INA and worked hard to expand the Institute into a world-class organization during his 6-year tenure.

Don Frey's contributions to the Institute are many: he is one of INA's chief language experts (he speaks four languages comfortably), he has designed measuring and recording equipment for divers to use under water, and he has become INA's principal photographer through his excellent work on many INA projects. His underwater filming and photography have been featured on Turkish television and in a recent National Geographic Society documentary.  As a former President, Vice President, and now as a research associate, Don is still involved in generating increased interest in INA, expanding INA's Board of Directors, and in seeking additional sources of funding for INA projects around the world.

Phone: 011-90-252-316-2248 (INA headquarters,  Bodrum, Turkey)

email: don@amphoras.com , dafrey@artemis.efes.tr