Submarine Archaeology

This paper describes a conservative restoration work conducted on a small portion of a wreck dating back to the Roman period. The item made of waterlogged wood, was found divided into 22 fragments at the site of Pisa San Rossore. The mineral elements absorbed inside wood, especially metals, have required a specific treatment, prior to the impregnation with PEG. After treatment, the object was subjected to freeze-drying procedure.

Il turismo archeologico subacqueo in Italia: opportunità e rischi
1. Una straordinaria opportunità
2. Elitismo gentrificato e slow diving
3. Una pratica virtuale ed educativa
4. Mondo blu e mondo grigio: l’alterità del turismo subacqueo
5. Una cura per un sistema cancerizzato? Il caso di Siracusa
6. La chimera del turismo sostenibile: le Cinque Terre e Capri
7. I percorsi subacquei di Ustica: turismo e archeologia
8. Autenticità e spazi marini: Ustica e Corfu
9. Turisti, archeologi o pirati? Spot e archeologia subacquea
10. Atlantide e il turismo subacqueo pseudo-archeologico
11. Ustica: il museo delle anfore tra voyeurismo e necrofilia
12. Dal mito alla realtà: i percorsi fantasma di Ustica
13. Il sontuoso mondo di Baia e la nascita del turismo
14. Il parco sommerso di Baia e il Ninfeo di Punta Epitaffio
15. La vendetta del Ciclope: un percorso difficile

Cet article analyse les règles que le droit international consacre à la protection du patrimoine culturel subaquatique. À cet effet, dans une première partie, il entreprend un survol général de la matière. Après une brève analyse de la notion de patrimoine culturel subaquatique et des menaces qui pèsent sur ce dernier, il examine les divers instruments internationaux qui portent sur cette question. Une attention particulière sera consacrée au droit de la mer et plus spécialement à l’analyse de la Convention des Nations unies sur le droit de la mer de 1982. La deuxième partie est en revanche consacrée à la Convention de l'UNESCO de 2001 sur la protection du patrimoine culturel subaquatique.

The wreck of the Italian Regia Marina submarine Scirè lies at a depth of 33 meters in Haifa Bay. The Scirè was sunk on 10 August 1942, at a time when Haifa was a harbor of the British Empire. She belonged to the Italian Navy Special Forces unit called X MAS (Decima MAS). This unit was the fiercest enemy of the Royal Navy in the Mediterranean and the Scirè was its spearhead. Using innovative underwater warfare in covert operations, the actions of the X MAS, particularly those of the Scirè in Gibraltar and Alexandria, made British harbors unsafe, at least until mid-1943.
This dissertation seeks to examine the main historical questions that still remain unsolved with respect to the final mission and sinking of the Scirè. These questions deal with the purpose and specific objectives of the Scirè in attacking Haifa; the way they fit the general strategy of the Regia Marina in the Mediterranean theater of naval war; her exact plans for the attack and her errors during the approach to the port; how the British discovered her mission and how the battle really took place. More generally, this dissertation will examine the story of the Italian Navy in World War II, and those of X MAS and of the Scirè before the S.L.1 mission against the harbor of Haifa.
The material aspects of the Scirè wreck have been surveyed, studied and documented by divers to obtain information and finds that assisted in reconstructing the primary cause of her sinking. This innovative project is a result of combining archival research with extensive underwater survey of a unique wreck of a World War II submarine, both for the methods and for the subject, since studies of contemporary steel shipwrecks are very recent and rare, especially in the Mediterranean Sea.
Altogether, by combining underwater research and archival studies within a multidisciplinary research context, a wider and more complete picture of this fascinating story has been obtained. This multidisciplinary method has provided an outstanding opportunity to verify the existing data, add more accurate details and significantly enlighten the importance historical military/naval event.
Finally, the study highlighted the importance of the Scirè wreck as a historical monument and the need to protect and manage it, encouraging bilateral agreements between Italy and Israel that meet this need.

Although much has been written on the subject of ancient Mediterranean harbours, the relatively new area of harbour
geoarchaeology remains dispersed in the geoscience and archaeological literature. Over a decade of research has amassed rich and varied datasets of anthropogenically forced coastal evolution, with a remarkable number of between-site analogies. This new research field also shows the rich potential of geoscience to reconcile important archaeological questions. No single publication, however, has yet drawn on these geological patterns to yield a detailed overview suitable for geoscientists and environmental archaeologists. The aim of this review article is to
(1) discuss how ancient harbours have come to be preserved in the geological record;

(2) expound the basic principles and palaeoenvironmental tools underpinning ancient harbour geoarchaeology;

(3) outline some of the most significant research advances made; and

(4) discuss a new chrono-stratigraphic model applicable to harbour.
sequences.

A mio padre, a Odino e agli altri della 'Calipso' La costa crotonese meridionale, da qualche anno parzialmente inserita nell'Area Marina Protetta "Capo Rizzuto", è un giacimento archeologico di straordinaria ricchezza che più volte ha suscitato l'interesse e visto l'intervento mirato della Soprintendenza calabrese e del Servizio Tecnico per l'Archeologia Subacquea del Ministero competente 1 . Nei trent'anni precedenti l'istituzione della riserva, però, subacquei improvvisati e professionisti del settore hanno fatto di questi fondali, fino ai 30/40 metri di profondità, il loro terreno di caccia, prelevando indiscriminatamente tutti i reperti che era possibile identificare e rimuovere senza eccessive difficoltà o rischi. Ulteriori danni hanno provocato la sciagurata pratica della pesca a strascico e, a ridosso della costa, la pesca con gli esplosivi.

RESUMEN

El barco naufragado en las cercanías de Cabo Gelidonya pudo haber sido utilizado para el transporte de metales y de fundidores y forjadores de metales itinerantes. Este pequeño barco mercante transportó —al menos— una tonelada de metal (tales como lingotes de cobre y estaño, y fragmentos de herramientas de bronce, ya en desuso). Su carga es una fuente significativa de evidencia para el estudio del intercambio y metalurgia del Período del Bronce Tardío en el Mediterráneo Oriental.

ABSTRACT

The ship sunken at Cape Gelidonya could have served both as a carrier of metals and as a sort of itinerant smithy. The ship was a small merchant vessel, which was carrying —at least— a ton of metal (such as copper and tin ingots, and scrap bronze tools). Its cargo remains an invaluable source of evidence for the study of trade, and metallurgy in the Late Bronze Age of the cosmopolitan Eastern Mediterranean world.

Although much has been written on the subject of ancient Mediterranean harbours, the relatively new area of harbour geoarchaeology remains dispersed in the geoscience and archaeological literature. Over a decade of research has amassed rich and varied datasets of anthropogenically forced coastal evolution, with a remarkable number of between-site analogies. This new research field also shows the rich potential of geoscience to reconcile important archaeological questions. No single publication, however, has yet drawn on these geological patterns to yield a detailed overview suitable for geoscientists and environmental archaeologists. The aim of this review article is to (1) discuss how ancient harbours have come to be preserved in the geological record;

The exact location and chronology of the ancient harbours of Phoenicia's two most important city-states, Tyre and Sidon, is a longstanding debate. New geoarchaeological research reveals that the early ports actually lie beneath the modern urban centres. During the Bronze Age, Tyre and Sidon were characterised by semi-open marine coves. After the first millennium BC, our bio-sedimentological data attest to early artificial harbour infrastructure, before the later apogees of the Roman and Byzantine periods. Post-1000 AD, silting-up and coastal progradation led to burial of the ancient basins, lost until now, beneath the city centres. The outstanding preservation properties of such fine-grained sedimentary contexts, coupled with the presence of the water table, means these two Levantine harbours are exceptionally preserved. This work has far-reaching implications for our understanding of Phoenician maritime archaeology and calls for the protection of these unique cultural heritages.

Sui sistemi idrografici si sono basate la vita, le economie e le culture dell’antichità; lo testimoniano gli sforzi per adattarli alle necessità umane: attività che erano praticate molto più intensamente di quanto oggi sia possibile percepire. il ventaglio di interventi che si potevano effettuare sui corsi d’acqua era in effetti molto ampio, ben più di quanto lasci intendere la frase di Cicerone presa a prestito per il titolo di questo libro: Non flumina arcemus, derigimus, avertimus. Le azioni antiche sulla rete idrografica, basate sullo scavo di canali artificiali, spaziano infatti dalle deviazioni fluviali, a scopo civile o bellico, al collegamento con il mare per coltivare le lagune costiere, ai sistemi di irrigazione, ai canali asserviti agli insediamenti urbani, fino alle ‘autostrade sull’acqua’ e al taglio degli istmi, realizzati o solamente progettati da monarchi e imperatori.
Nell’individuare le tracce di queste infrastrutture, è necessario il concorso della prospezione archeologica e – soprattutto – delle fonti letterarie ed epigrafiche: si compone così un quadro, geograficamente ampio e distribuito su un lunghissimo periodo, di cui il libro offre una panoramica che prende in esame l’Egitto, la Mesopotamia e l’Europa, che si spinge fino alle soglie del Medioevo, con qualche richiamo al Rinascimento.
Il volume nella prima parte presenta alcuni appunti sulle metodologie di ricerca, poi alcune distinzioni tipologiche sulle infrastrutture idroviarie, sulla loro distribuzione e le diverse applicazioni. Seguono delle notazioni sulle implicazioni tecniche, gli aspetti sociali e i contenuti mitici e ‘religiosi’ dell’azione dello scavo. Sono poi trattate le relazioni fra i canali, le lagune costiere e i porti; un peculiare campo di applicazione dell’escavazione sono infatti le grandi installazioni portuali articolate su invasi e canali di ingresso e di raccordo ai sistemi idroviari: incisioni nel terreno che richiedevano la stabilizzazione, esigenza che in età romana imperiale trovò la più efficace tecnologia nell’opus caementicium pozzolanico, autorevolmente promosso da M. Vitruvio Pollione. Nella seconda parte, il libro raccoglie una rassegna di realizzazioni (canali navigabili ‘regionali’ e locali, porti scavati, tagli di istmi), distribuite su vari contesti territoriali: panoramica da cui si ricava che, se lo si osserva in maniera olistica, il paesaggio antico del Mediterraneo è anche il risultato dell’intensa attività di adattamento delle reti idrografiche, marittime e interne, mirata ad ottenere una viabilità il più possibile capillare e continua.

Store deler av Nordsjøen lå tørt i flere tusen år etter siste istid. I løpet av denne tiden tok dyr og mennesker området i bruk. Det er gjort funn av steinalderredskap nær norsk sektor,
og funn av blant annet mammuttenner og knokler på norsk sokkel. I gjennomgangen av tilgjengelige kilder over funn fra steinalder, konkluderer forfatterne med at det er høy
sannsynlighet for å påtreffe overleirete steinalderlokaliteter
i store deler av Nordsjøen.
Gjennomgangen av historiske og arkeologiske kilder til fiske og skipsfart på Nordsjøen viser at havområdet er et av verdens mest beseilte farvann. Det er et høyt potensial for funn av skip og båter, med last og annet utstyr.
Forfatterne anslår at det finnes minimum 10.000 skipsvrak innen norsk sektor av Nordsjøen.

Resumen. El barco naufragado en Uluburun (Kas, Turquía) representa el mayor volumen de artefactos en-contrados del Bronce Tardío. El cargamento consistía en materias primas y bienes manufacturados provenientes del mar Egeo y el Levante. Incluía regalos reales y bienes intercambiados por Egipto y otros grandes reyes del COA, así como los bienes más exóticos de la época.

Abstract. The wreck at Ulu Burun (Kas, Turkey) represents the greatest hoard of artifacts from the Late Bronze period. The ship's cargo comprised raw materials and manufactured goods from the Aegean and Levant. It mirrored records of royal gifts and goods exchanged by Egyptian and other Near Eastern great kings and included the most luxurious items of the time.

The SeARCH research project (Semi-automatic 3D Acquisition and Reassembly of Cultural Heritage) brings together archeologists and computer scientists with one unique objective: the virtual reassembly of broken artifacts, and especially the broken statues that were surrounding the lighthouse of Alexandria. The gathering of researchers of these two fundamentally different scientific origins makes it possible to combine expert archeological high-level knowledge with the power of computer graphic visualization techniques and geometry p rocessing algorithms. The integration of both disciplines is achieved by designing efficient human-computer interaction techniques that use semi-automatic geometry-driven acquisition, visualization, and reassembly techniques.

RESUMEN: Entre los materiales arqueológicos procedentes del expolio de la fragata española Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes, el conjunto monetario merece una especial atención. Su relevancia se encuentra no solo en el impresionante número de piezas (más de medio millón de monedas de plata y oro), sino en su interés histórico y cultural, así como en el papel vital que han desempeñado en el caso, al aportar pruebas judiciales fundamentales para determinar la verdadera identidad del buque del que procedían y reafirmar los argumentos defendidos por el Estado español en el litigio. Por otra parte, son las monedas las que han permitido establecer la datación del pecio expoliado, proporcionando la fecha ante quem de 1804 y fijando el momento de su hundimiento en este mismo año.
ABSTRACT: Among the archaeological materials from the plundering of the Spanish frigate Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes, the coins deserves special attention. Its relevance is found not only in the impressive number of pieces (more than half a million silver and gold coins), but in their historical and cultural interest, as well as in the vital role they have played in the case, by providing the judicial evidence fundamental to determine the true identity of the ship from which they came and reaffirm the arguments defended by the Spanish State in the litigation. On the other hand, it is the currencies that have allowed to establish the dating of the wrecked ship, providing the date ante quem of 1804 and setting the moment of its sinking in this same year.

Il volume raccoglie i contributi del III Convegno di Archeologia subacquea, organizzato dall’Associazione Italiana Archeologi Subacquei e dall’allora Dipartimento di Scienze Umane dell’Università di Foggia. Il convegno ha rappresentato un importante momento di confronto e di riflessione sullo stato degli studi dell’archeologia subacquea che, nonostante la profonda crisi in cui versa, costituisce un settore di ricerca ancora vitale e apprezzato in tutto il mondo, come dimostrano le numerose ricerche e i risultati di progetti nazionali e internazionali qui presentati.

Ci deve essere qualcosa, che a me sfugge, che spinge i calabresi, come cercherò di dimostrare soprattutto i calabresi, a cercare presunti tesori antichi con tutti i mezzi a disposizione sulla terra ferma: pale e picconi, 'spilloni' e metal detector da tombaroli, georadar e droni dotati di potentissimi infrarossi (come ha dimostrato la recente "retata" di ladri di memoria); ma, ora, anche sott'acqua per mezzo dei nuovissimi 'side scan sonar' e 'sub bottom profiler' che consentirebbero di individuare gli oggetti sommersi.

Kekova Island is located in Üçağız district of Demre city of Antalya province, 1 km south of Simena
antique city and 4 km of Andriake port - west of the city. The island is approximately 7.5 km long and
the largest is 1.8 km long. The island is northeast-southwest oriented and is mostly mountainous with
a steep slope and a high altitude of about 180 m. Although the mountainous structure of the island is
not suitable for agriculture, urban settlement is also very limited. For this reason, there are
settlements in only two parts of the island. The underwater surveys conducted in 2012-2018
continued in three different areas around the Kekova Island, Kuzey Yerleşim Alanı, Karaöz Mevkii and
Tersane Koyu Arkaik Batık Area. Underwater surveys carried out in parallel with the studies on land
were carried out gradually in the regions identified above. Side Scan Sonar and Remote Controlled
Submarine Robot have been realized by dives for detection, observation and photographing in the
areas determined. Kekova Island and its surroundings underwater research, a large number of
terracotta vessels, stone and metal anchors and thousands of commercial amphoras have been
identified. The commercial amphoras found were the main material of our study. In this study,
commercial amphorae originating from Eastern Mediterranean and Cilicia are discussed. Twelve
different amphorae formations were investigated in the Eastern Mediterranean region from Egypt,
Beirut, Tunisia, Cyprus, Gaza and Tripolitania, From the Cilicia region, four different amphora forms
were discussed. In total, sixteen different forms of amphorae were examined from seven different
regions. In this context, the Eastern Mediterranean, which is the earliest in the early 7thcentury BC,
has been studied with the basket handled amphora of Cyprus origin, at the latest, the LR 4 B3 type
amphora dated to the VIIth - VIIIth century AD of the Eastern Mediterranean was determined. In
addition to the amphora and LR 4 B3 amphorae with basket handles, the Pompei V, Zemer 41 and LR
1 amphoras of Cilicia have been studied. With the commercial amphorae found in our study, the role
of Kekova Island in maritime trade has been tried to be demonstrated in a thousand six hundred
years.

The wrecks of two Soviet submarines, the S7 and the SC-305, were discovered by private wreck-searching teams in 1998 and 2007 respectively. For more than half a Century the whereabouts of the wrecks had remained a mystery. Drawing from the case of the two sunken Second World War submarines, this paper addresses the archaeological significance of moving-image documentation produced in non-archaeological contexts as a tool for interpreting the sites. What kind of research can archaeologists, denied direct access to a site, conduct through the use of film documentation gathered by nonarchaeologists? Is it possible to use films produced by divers or marine survey teams (non-archaeologists) to interpret underwater sites? Can film be considered an archaeological documentation method, and how can data gathered in this way be handled and
interpreted? Moreover, how does the distance created though lack of physical contact with sites and the non-professional gathering of data affect the research and analysis? Our work indicates that using already existing film and photographic material, created for purposes other than archaeological documentation, can be a valuable source material
for understanding past events as well as how archaeological sites are experienced today. We found that working with material created by non-archaeologists had limitations, but it also opened up a whole new set of opportunities of viewing and understanding the sites.