Deepwater Archaeology Research Articles

Deep Water Archaeology in Italy and in the Tyrrhenian Sea

This paper presents an overview of the history of the research in deep water archaeology in Italy and the recent activities carried out by Fondazione Azionemare, in collaboration with the Dipartimento di Studi Umanistici of the Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia, in the Tyrrhenian Sea. Through a preliminary presentation of some shipwrecks dated to the Roman period, discovered by the Fondazione Azionemare and investigated, thanks also to photogrammetry, with the archaeologists of the Venetian university, this article analyses the characteristics and the potentialities of these contexts, which present an excellent level of conservation.

Deep sea archaeological survey in the Black Sea – Robotic documentation of 2,500 years of human seafaring

Between 2015 and 2017 the Black Sea Maritime Archaeology Project (Black Sea MAP) discovered and recorded 65 shipwreck sites dating from the 4th Century BC to the 19th Century AD in the Bulgarian Exclusive Economical Zone (EEZ). Using state-of-the-art remotely operated vehicles to survey the seabed, the team captured more than 250,000 high-definition (HD) photographs; hundreds of hours of ultra high-definition (UHD) video together with acoustic bathymetric, laser, side-scan sonar and seismic data. The wrecks were located in depths from 40 to 2200 m – those shipwrecks in the deeper range presented extraordinary archaeological preservation due to the Black Sea's anoxic conditions. This paper will introduce the range of deep-sea optic and acoustic survey techniques to accurately record and create 3D and pseudo 4D models of the shipwrecks. It will focus on a Early 4th Century BC shipwreck demonstrating the project's survey strategy as well as adaptations developed in response to operational conditions; the implementation of deep sea robotics to generate georeferenced high-resolution photogrammetric models and the benefits this has as an on-site, as well as a post-cruise, interpretative tool. It demonstrates that in-theatre acquisition and processing of high-quality datasets is a working reality and has fundamental implications for management as well as the advantages that this brings to the archaeological research process: Firstly, in the creation of spatio-temporal models, i.e., 4D representations of a site pre and post archaeological excavation and secondly, in monitoring such wreck sites, and provides a viable non-intervention tool for the assessment of sites as part of a long-term management strategy. It also shows the value of well-funded collaboration between academia and industry and that deep water archaeology can and must be totally in accordance to the 2011 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) convention.

Efficiency estimation of underwater technics application in deep-sea archelegical projects

The problem of creation of a generalized approach to the comparative evaluation of efficiency of manned and unmanned underwater technics application in the projects of deep-sea archaeology was considered. Based on the analysis of current international requirements to conducting deep-sea archaeological expeditions and studying the existing methods for assessing the efficiency of underwater technics to perform oceanographic research, the generic criteria for safety and operational efficiency of underwater technics were proposed to perform the works on the deep-water archaeology. Under the common criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of new equipment, the possibility of using the criteria proposed by the authors for quantitative assessment of the operational characteristics was considered and the possibility to take reasonable organizational and technical decisions regarding the provision of deep-sea archaeological expeditions with manned and unmanned technics for deep-sea researches was shown.

Ships from the depths: deepwater archaeology

Deepwater archaeology uncovers secrets from the ancient maritime past . . . Thousands of shipwrecks and archaeological sites lie undiscovered in deep water, potentially holding important clues to our maritime past. Scientists have explored only a small percentage of the oceans' depths, as 98 percent of the seabed lies well beyond the reach of conventional diving. Ships from the Depthssurveys the dramatic advances in technology over the last few years that have made it possible for scientists to locate, study, and catalogue archaeological sites in waters previously inaccessible to humans. Researcher and explorer Fredrik Soreide presents the development of deepwater archaeology since 1971, when Willard Bascom designed his Alcoa Seaprobe to locate and raise deepwater wrecks in the Mediterranean. Accompanied by descriptions and color photographs of deepwater projects and equipment, this book considers not only techniques that have been developed for location and observation of sites but also removal and excavation methods distinctive to these unique locations, far beyond the reach of scuba gear. Soreide provides an introduction to and survey of the history, development, and potential of this exciting branch of nautical archaeology. Scholars and field archaeologists will appreciate this handy compendium of the current state of the discipline and technology, and general readers will relish this comprehensive look at the challenges and opportunities associated with locating and studying historical and ancient shipwrecks in some of the world's deepest waters.

Book Review: Ships from the Depths: Deepwater Archaeology

Book Review: Ships from the Depths: Deepwater Archaeology

Robotic tools for deep water archaeology: Surveying an ancient shipwreck with an autonomous underwater vehicle

AbstractThe goals of this article are twofold. First, we detail the operations and discuss the results of the 2005 Chios ancient shipwreck survey. This survey was conducted by an international team of engineers, archaeologists, and natural scientists off the Greek island of Chios in the northeastern Aegean Sea using an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) built specifically for high‐resolution site inspection and characterization. Second, using the survey operations as context, we identify the specific challenges of adapting AUV technology for deep water archaeology and describe how our team addressed these challenges during the Chios expedition. After identifying the state of the art in robotic tools for deep water archaeology, we discuss opportunities in which new developments and research (e.g., AUV platforms, underwater imaging, remote sensing, and navigation techniques) will improve the rapid assessment of deep water archaeological sites. It is our hope that by reporting on the Chios field expedition we can both describe the opportunities that AUVs bring to fine‐resolution seafloor site surveys and elucidate future opportunities for collaborations between roboticists and ocean scientists. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The US Government’s Role in Deepwater Archaeology: The Deep Gulf Wrecks Project

The deepwater part of the Gulf of Mexico has shown a remarkable increase in oil and gas exploration, development, and production. In part, this is because of the development of new technologies reducing operational costs and risks, as well as the finding of reservoirs with high-production wells. With expanding development in deep water come increasing challenges in managing our nation’s Submerged Cultural Heritage on the Outer Continental Shelf and Slope. To fulfill obligations under Section 106 of the Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (36 CFR 800), managers need a clearer understanding of the size of debris fields expected around deepwater shipwrecks, as well as their state of preservation and future research potential—both cultural and biological. With this in mind, the Minerals Management Service, in partnership with the National Oceanographic Partnership Program and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Ocean Explorations, launched the Deep Gulf Wrecks Project.

Searching for Ancient Shipwrecks in the Aegean Sea: the Discovery of Chios and Kythnos Hellenistic Wrecks with the Use of Marine Geological-Geophysical Methods

This paper presents the results of two deep-water archaeological surveys recently conducted in the Aegean Sea, and the advantages of using conventional marine geological techniques in deep-water archaeology. Two Hellenistic wrecks were discovered: one in the Chios-Oinousses strait at 70 m, was a concentration of over 400 amphoras in a 1.5-m-high, high-backscattering, morphological high; the second, west of Kythnos island, at 495 m, consisted of a few amphoras scattered in a 20 × 20-m-wide area. Side-scan sonar was integrated with high-resolution sub-bottom profiling, and the integration of the two data-sets proved to contribute significantly to realistic interpretation of the sonar targets. © 2007 The Authors

Deepwater Archaeology of the Black Sea

Turkiye'nin kuzey kiyilari boyunca, Karadeniz'de Bogaz'in dogusundan Sinop limanina kadar olan bolgede buyuk bir arastirma yurutulmustur. Bu arastirmanin uc ana amaci vardi: ilk olarak Karadeniz'in sularla dolmasindan once, yani 7 500 yil once, arastirmacilarca yorede varoldugu ongorulen yerlesme yerlerine ait verilerin arastirilmasi: ikinci olarak acik deniz gemi rota yollarinin saptanmasi ve ucuncu olarak da Karadeniz'in oksijensiz dip sularinda eski ahsap gemi kalintilarini bulmaktir. Bu arastirmada kullanilan aygitlar kademe dizinli yan taramali sonar, yedek kizak ve uzaktan kumandali kucuk dalma aracidir (ROV), Karadeniz'de, ongorulen su taskinindan onceye ait olasilikli bir yerlesme yeri ve uc adet gemi batigi 100 m derinlikte saptanmistir. Bir diger batik 324 m derinlikte oksijensiz seviyede bulunmustur. Bu oksijensiz tabakadaki batik tum halde son derecede iyi korunmus halde ve M.S. 450 yilina yani Bizans Devrine aittir.

Deepwater Archaeology of the Black Sea: The 2000 Season at Sinop, Turkey

In 2000, a major expedition for deepwater archaeology was conducted by the Institute for Exploration in the Black Sea along the northwestern coast of Turkey from the Bosporus to the Turkish seaport of Sinop. A complementary land-based expedition will be reported upon elsewhere. The 2000 underwater expedition had three research objectives: to search for evidence of human habitation prior to major flooding of the Black Sea that researchers predicted occurred some 7,500 years ago; to investigate a deepwater shipping route; and to search for ancient wooden ships in the sea's anoxic bottom waters. Research methods included the use of a phased-array side-scan sonar, a towed imaging sled, and a small remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to collect deep-sea survey data. Three shipwrecks and a probable site reflecting human habitation prior to the proposed flooding event were located at depths around 100 m. One additional shipwreck was found within the anoxic layer at a depth of 324 m. The ship found within the anoxic layer was intact, in a high state of preservation, and dated to the Byzantine period of 450 A.D.

Cost-effective deep water archaeology: preliminary investigations in Trondheim Harbour

In the past few years there has been an increased interest in deep water archaeology, and a growing number of archaeological institutions now use remote sensing equipment and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to locate and investigate deep water archaeological sites. The article presents some important projects that have been carried out around the world. These include Norwegian projects. In Trondheim Harbour several shipwrecks have been located in relatively deep water. One of these wrecks was selected as an experimental site for testing new methods, and the results of this work, including documentation and excavation with ROVs and other robotic solutions, are presented. © 2000 The Nautical Archaeology Society

Cost-effective deep water archaeology: preliminary investigations in Trondheim Harbour

In the past few years there has been an increased interest in deep water archaeology, and a growing number of archaeological institutions now use remote sensing equipment and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to locate and investigate deep water archaeological sites. The article presents some important projects that have been carried out around the world. These include Norwegian projects. In Trondheim Harbour several shipwrecks have been located in relatively deep water. One of these wrecks was selected as an experimental site for testing new methods, and the results of this work, including documentation and excavation with ROVs and other robotic solutions, are presented.

The discovery of ancient history in the deep sea using advanced deep submergence technology

The Skerki Bank Project was the first interdisciplinary effort to determine the importance of the deep sea to the field of archaeology. Over a nine year period from 1988 to 1997, its various field programs resulted in the discovery of the largest concentration of ancient ships ever found in the deep sea. In all, eight ships were located in an area of 210 km 2, including five of the Roman era spanning a period of time from 100 B.C. to 400 A.D., documenting the existence of a major trading route in the central Mediterranean Sea between ancient Carthage, Rome, Sicily, and Sardinia. The project involved the use of highly sophisticated deep submergence technologies including towed acoustic and visual search vehicles, a nuclear research submarine, and an advanced remotely operated vehicle. Precision navigation and control permitted rapid yet careful mapping, both visual and acoustic, of each site with a degree of precision never attained before. Advanced robotics permitted the recovery of selected objects for subsequent analysis without intrusive excavation. This multi-disciplinary effort of archaeologists, oceanographers, and ocean engineers demonstrated that deep water archaeology has great promise and can be done without the exploitation of ancient sites for private gains. The Project also demonstrated that in the absence of evolving laws of the sea, a great deal of human history may be at peril.

A note on the meaning of ‘wreck’

Between 2015 and 2017 the Black Sea Maritime Archaeology Project (Black Sea MAP) discovered and recorded 65 shipwreck sites dating from the 4th Century BC to the 19th Century AD in the Bulgarian Exclusive Economical Zone (EEZ). Using state-of-the-art remotely operated vehicles to survey the seabed, the team captured more than 250,000 high-definition (HD) photographs; hundreds of hours of ultra high-definition (UHD) video together with acoustic bathymetric, laser, side-scan sonar and seismic data. The wrecks were located in depths from 40 to 2200 m – those shipwrecks in the deeper range presented extraordinary archaeological preservation due to the Black Sea's anoxic conditions. This paper will introduce the range of deep-sea optic and acoustic survey techniques to accurately record and create 3D and pseudo 4D models of the shipwrecks. It will focus on a Early 4th Century BC shipwreck demonstrating the project's survey strategy as well as adaptations developed in response to operational conditions; the implementation of deep sea robotics to generate georeferenced high-resolution photogrammetric models and the benefits this has as an on-site, as well as a post-cruise, interpretative tool. It demonstrates that in-theatre acquisition and processing of high-quality datasets is a working reality and has fundamental implications for management as well as the advantages that this brings to the archaeological research process: Firstly, in the creation of spatio-temporal models, i.e., 4D representations of a site pre and post archaeological excavation and secondly, in monitoring such wreck sites, and provides a viable non-intervention tool for the assessment of sites as part of a long-term management strategy. It also shows the value of well-funded collaboration between academia and industry and that deep water archaeology can and must be totally in accordance to the 2011 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) convention.

Deep Water Archaeology: A Late-Roman Ship from Carthage and an Ancient Trade Route near Skerki Bank off Northwest Sicily. By Anna Marguerite McCann and Joann Freed.

<i>Deep Water Archaeology: A Late-Roman Ship from Carthage and an Ancient Trade Route near Skerki Bank off Northwest Sicily</i>. By Anna Marguerite McCann and Joann Freed.