Abstract
The preservation potential of sediments from a submerged prehistoric site buried in a full marine environment was assessed using a combination of direct in situ measurements, measurements on extracted sediment cores and laboratory mesocosm experiments. The results show that first and foremost it is paramount to ascertain the state of preservation of the materials in the seabed—in this case wooden artifacts—that are to be preserved in situ. The results suggest that dissolved oxygen and sulfide are good parameters to measure in situ to assess the general oxidizing or reducing nature of the environment. If it is possible to take sediment core samples, it is similarly important to measure dissolved oxygen and hydrogen sulfide in the core and extract pore water to assess for sulfate content. Sediments should be characterized for particle size, water content (porosity) and organic content. In this way, we show that dissolved oxygen was rapidly depleted in the first few centimeters of sediment, thereafter sulfate reduction dominated the geochemical processes. Coarser sediment types with high porosity and low organic content have lower rates of organic material turnover, indicating better preservation conditions.
Highlights
Current international trends favor in situ preservation as a means to manage marine archaeological sites that, for economic or other reasons, are not excavated, raised and conserved [1,2]
It was found that it is of paramount importance to obtain samples of the material in order to assess their state of preservation, so as to determine whether future deterioration in the environment is likely
Wood fragments taken from the Tudse Hage site were shown to be extensively degraded and, should the conditions remain the same, it is unlikely that further deterioration will occur due to the ecological constraints on the microorganisms that could cause further deterioration
Summary
Current international trends favor in situ preservation as a means to manage marine archaeological sites that, for economic or other reasons, are not excavated, raised and conserved [1,2]. Since the early 1990s European Heritage management has focused upon in situ preservation and there have been numerous projects that addressed material deterioration [3,4], monitoring [5] and stabilization [6] of marine archaeological sites. The current author [7] has previously discussed five fundamental steps necessary to ensuring the successful and responsible in situ preservation and management of archaeological sites in general
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