Maritime Archaeology

Investigations of Mediterranean connectivity have increasingly turned toward maritime landscape models to frame questions of seaborne exploration, marine resource exploitation, trade and exchange, and seafaring culture. Environmental and technological parameters are consistently acknowledged as crucial for understanding when and why different relationships developed across the sea, but their formal employment in the modeling and interpretation of maritime space remains quite limited. The methodology outlined here utilizes Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to integrate environment and technology as an analytical tool for exploring the complexity of seaborne connectivity. Focusing on sailing days as practical units of distance and using an Archaic Greek shipwreck off Turkey as a case study, this preliminary model demonstrates how a more nuanced spatial approach can inform the human geography and socioeconomic structures of ancient maritime interaction.

"Early colonial economies in North America and Australia were commonly based on a combination of the importation of goods and a system of local production which included subsistence agriculture and hunting. Before 1850 the Australian settlements had a very limited and only slowly developing capacity to create or harvest, local supplies of food and alcohol. Furthermore in the nineteenth century the Australian colonies never developed the capacity to produce certain kinds of consumer goods. In the Australian contact the period and degree of "dependency" on external sources of supply varied according to well recognised factors like the growth of population and establishing or importing the means of production to the colony.

This book chapter considers trade between Canada and Australia through an examination of the voyage of the William Salthouse in what was the earliest attempt to establish trade relations between Canada and Australia."

This dissertation examines ancient anchoring practice in the Mediterranean through ca. 1500 CE, as well as the history and technological developments of iron anchors, which are among the most important tools inherited from the ancient world. The methodology employed is holistic in synthesizing archaeological finds, textual, and iconographic evidence, and includes statistical and geographical analysis based on a substantial catalogue of ancient anchor finds. An experimental project is also included where anchor reconstructions were used in the sea and their utility tested.

Mooring is one of the least studied aspects of everyday life for the people of the ancient Mediterranean. It has been elucidated that in most circumstances beaching would not have been a practical option, even for warships and the smallest cargo vessels. Rather, vessels were equipped with specialized gear for mooring off or near undeveloped shores. This included ship's boats enabling access to the shore. Lower draft vessels, particularly galleys, could approach unbuilt shores and employ mooring stakes and cables, and the ship's landing-ladder would be deployed into shallow water. Where available, however, ships would benefit from built quays which facilitated goods transport.

The iron stock-anchor displays the greatest longevity of any anchoring tool, evinced as early as the 5th c. BCE, and appears to have achieved dominance over wooden types by the 3rd c. CE. From its conception the iron-stock anchor undergoes a broad range of gradual changes to its form and features. The earliest known finds take a 'V' form in the bulk-arms and gradually develop through rounded to 'T' and 'Y' forms in the Byzantine Period. The stocks evolve from removable iron types, to permanent forms entirely of wood. Reintroduction of upward-oriented arm designs from northern Europe around the 13th c. CE, and incorporation of hydraulic mechanized smithing developments, heralded a revolution of anchoring technology. Larger, stronger and more efficient anchors were being produced to standardized dimensions and quality, promoting larger ships, and ultimately resulting in novel characteristics of navigation.

Ce livre explore les relations entre histoire et archéologie sous-marine aux Petites Antilles à travers l’exemple de la Guadeloupe. Le phénomène du naufrage est envisagé comme un prisme pour aborder les aspects maritimes de l’histoire antillaise à l’époque de la marine à voile (fin du XVIIe mi XIXe siècles). L’objectif est de dresser une typologie des pertes en mer s’intéressant aux différents types de navires perdus, leur fonction, leur cargaison et leur équipage.
Le regard sur l’espace maritime est abordé pour présenter le cadre géographique. Le naufrage est ensuite défini par une étude quantitative : nombre, fréquence, localisation, répartition chronologique. Son intérêt en tant que clé de lecture d’une colonie française d’Amérique, de son économie et de sa société entre cultures d’exportation et esclavage est certain. Environ 550 naufrages sont répertoriés, ce qui représente moins de 1 % de la fréquentation maritime de la colonie. Cette étude permet d'analyser les relations entre risques et les moyens pour en réduire l’impact. Les différentes pistes, des premières missions hydrographiques au XVIIIe siècle, aux premiers aménagements portuaires et littoraux au XIXe siècle sont présentées.
L’étude des documents d’archives trouve une application dans l’évaluation du potentiel archéologique sous-marin. Des hypothèses d’identification de 5 sites sur les 15 sites d’épaves anciennes répertoriées, permettant ainsi une vision différente de la question des risques maritimes.
Ce livre s'adresse aux amoureux d'histoire(s) et de la mer qui savent ses dangers et sa beauté. Il porte sur les Antilles à l'époque coloniale (fin XVIIe – mi XIXe siècles) et en particulier sur la Guadeloupe, mais les histoires de mer qui s'y racontent sont d'une portée universelle à l'image de celle du radeau de la Méduse.
Les conséquences des batailles navales et des épisodes de guerres maritimes sont comparées aux pertes liées aux aléas climatiques, coups de vent et ouragans.
L'histoire des naufrages y révèle les faces cachées de l'histoire des Antilles : fréquentation maritime économiques et militaires, dangers et risques, ports et mouillages, marins et cargaisons. Leur étude y est au service de l'archéologie sous-marine : du potentiel archéologique, des épaves et de leur identification, et plus largement du patrimoine maritime antillais.

This thesis focuses on the study of the material culture of the Auguste, a cartel ship wrecked in 1761 northeast of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. The Seven Years’ War (1756-1763) in New France entailed the surrender of Louisbourg in 1758, Quebec in 1759, and finally, Montreal in 1760. France consequently lost an important colony. The establishment of a temporary British military regime caused the departure of many members of higher social classes from the colony towards France. To this end, ships were requisitioned and travelled as cartel ships, in other words, they navigated to France under a white flag with the “prisoners”,
their families, and their possessions. In 1761, three departures from Québec City occurred in May, July, and October. The Auguste, a British merchant ship, was requisitioned in Quebec as a cartel ship during the fall of 1761. A month after its departure, the ship grounded in Aspy
Bay and wrecked, bringing death to the majority of the passengers. More than two centuries later, a partnership between Parks Canada and local divers led to two archaeological excavations in the late 1970s, revealing a collection of over four thousand artefacts. This thesis’ analysis of the material culture includes an outline of the history and the discovery of the ship and a classification of artefacts along functional categories related to maritime archaeology. The different analytical steps in this study ultimately lead to the integration of archaeological data towards understanding the repatriation of elites within the Modern State, and to define relationships between the wealthiest families of the colony and certain artisans of New France. The study of the Auguste finally seeks to understand the function of a cartel ship and the maritime organisation of a passengers ship’s transatlantic voyage.

Ce mémoire porte sur l’étude de la culture matérielle de l’Auguste, un navire de cartel ayant fait naufrage en 1761 au nord-est de l’île du Cap-Breton, en Nouvelle-Écosse. La date de 1759 marque la conquête de la Nouvelle-France par l’Angleterre. La France perd donc un important territoire. À la suite de la capitulation de Montréal en 1760, un Régime militaire temporaire anglais est mis en place et entraîne le départ de plusieurs membres des classes dirigeantes de la colonie vers la France. Leur rapatriement est effectué au moyen de navires de cartel, c’est-à-dire des vaisseaux voyageant sous drapeau blanc et transportant des
« prisonniers », leur famille et leurs avoirs. L’Auguste, un navire marchand d’appartenance britannique, est réquisitionné à Québec comme navire de cartel à l’automne 1761. Un mois après son départ, le navire s’échoue dans la baie d’Aspy et fait naufrage en emportant à la
mort la majorité des passagers. Plus de deux siècles après ces événements tragiques, un partenariat entre Parcs Canada et des plongeurs locaux a mené à la réalisation de deux campagnes de fouilles archéologiques à la fin des années 1970 mettant au jour une collection
de plus de quatre mille artefacts. L’analyse de cette culture matérielle comprend notamment la mise en contexte de l’histoire et de la découverte du navire et un classement des artefacts selon des catégories fonctionnelles liées à l’archéologie maritime. Les différents niveaux analytiques mènent ultimement à l’intégration des données archéologiques dans la compréhension du rapatriement des élites au sein de l’État moderne et à l’établissement de liens intéressants entre les familles nanties de la colonie et certains artisans de Nouvelle-
France. L’étude de l’Auguste a finalement permis de mettre en lumière la fonction de cartel du navire et d’établir et l’organisation maritime d’un voyage transatlantique pour le transport de passagers.

Freedom of navigation through the South China Sea could now be at risk. Six countries lay claim to all or part of the Spratly Islands and the Paracels (Fig. 1). Five of them occupy islands or reefs. All five have built structures and infrastructure, and all have reclaimed land to do it. Recently, however, China has instigated something of a reclamation Blitzkrieg. It has converted seven submerged reefs into islands, and several of those incorporate runways and harbours. They are primarily for military use and therefore dramatically change the strategic situation. When challenged, China cites an indisputable right to be there.
This paper seeks to address the sense of entitlement that all claimants exude. Perceived rights seem to override international law, ratified conventions, signed declarations, and even common sense. They stem from history, both ancient and modern; but history is open to interpretation. Archaeological evidence is more concrete, as it can
corroborate and/or enhance the textual evidence.

According to the popular image of the Vikings, this people embodied a spirit of immense solidarity that resisted the yoke of Christianity and the dominance of Latin in Western Europe. This image is not without its contradictions, and while it is true that writing was unknown in Scandinavia during the early centuries of the Viking expansion, we now know that trade and colonization, as much as their famous raids, motivated the irruption of the Scandinavian people on the medieval stage. However, there is an important area where the contradictions between the image of the Vikings and archaeological data still remain intact : the Vikings ships. These ships were designed for traders, settlers, fishermen and warriors. Like the Vikings themselves, their ships reflect a genius of unparallelled originality and high performance. How did the Vikings build their ships, conferring them with such impressive symmetry, balance and finesse? The first ethnologists who studied this issue favoured ideal notions of traditions compiled over generations of builders, along with simple tips for balancing portside and starboard. Following this reductive cultural representation, they then quickly turned to the essential elements of clinker built construction: use of split planks and a great number of iron rivets, evidence of a new metallurgy. The problem with these ships is that, while their construction is made using traditional methods fitting to the popular image of the Vikings, their architectural design, deriving from very refined knowledge, contradicts the idea of an illiterate medieval Scandinavia cut off from the main centres of learning. This work focuses on the architectural design of Scandinavian ships from the eighth to the eleventh century, to show their place in high European knowledge. It then seeks to understand the links between the theoretical and practical aspects of Vikings ships : the clinker built construction and a great homogeneity over more than five centuries. Analysis of the master frames of five wrecks – three Viking ships, one Ancient wreck and a pre-Viking Scandinavian vessel – has found positive indicators of the use of geometric design principles that were formerly thought to be original in Renaissance shipbuilding treatises. Each wreck showed signs of the application of these design principles. The results show moreover that it was possible to use a transverse system of hull design for ships that were built shell-first in the clinker style.
Note: Optimised file. See the original at: http://hdl.handle.net/1866/10661

Selon l’image reçue des Vikings, ce peuple incarne l'esprit d’une immense solidarité primitive ayant su résister rudement au joug du christianisme et à la domination du Latin en Europe occidentale. Cette image n’est pas sans ses contradictions et, s’il est vrai que l’écriture était encore inconnue en Scandinavie durant les premiers siècles de l’expansion viking, on sait maintenant que le commerce et la colonisation, autant que les célèbres raids, motivèrent l’irruption des peuples scandinaves sur la scène médiévale. Quant aux navires de ces marchands, colonisateurs, pêcheurs et guerriers, ils apparaissent, un peu à l’image des Vikings eux-mêmes, sur le grand tableau de l’histoire nautique sous l’enseigne d’une originalité et d’une technicité sans parallèle. Comment les Vikings construisaient-ils leurs navires, en leur donnant une symétrie, un équilibre et une finesse si achevés? Les premiers ethnologues qui se sont intéressés à cette question ont privilégié les idées issues d'une tradition acquise par des générations de constructeurs, et d'astuces simples pour équilibrer tribord et bâbord. Puis, ils se sont rapidement tournés vers les techniques inhérentes à la construction à clin : utilisation de planches fendues et non sciées et de rivets abondants témoignant d’une sidérurgie acquise depuis peu. Le problème que présentent ces navires, est que leur construction artisanale demeure conforme à l’image reçue des Vikings, mais que leur conception architecturale, réalisée selon des connaissances théoriques très exactes, brise la notion d’une Scandinavie médiévale illettrée et coupée des grands centres du savoir. Ce travail s’intéresse précisément à la conception architecturale des navires scandinaves du VIIIe au XIe siècle pour montrer comment ils s’insèrent dans un haut savoir européen dès leur apparition. Il explore ensuite les liens qui unissent ce savoir théorique aux aspects véritablement originaux des navires vikings, en l’occurrence leur construction à clin et leur homogénéité sur une grande région à travers plus de cinq siècles. Au terme de cette recherche, l'analyse réalisée sur le maître-couple de trois épaves vikings, une épave antique et une épave scandinave pré-viking, a permis de mettre en évidence plusieurs indices de l'utilisation du système de conception géométrique apparaissant pour la première fois dans les traités d'architecture navale de la Renaissance, et ce, sur chacune de ces épaves. Les résultats obtenus démontrent qu'il est possible d'employer un système transversal de conception pour des navires vraisemblablement construits bordé premier et assemblés à clin.
NB. Fichier optimisé. Voir l'original à: http://hdl.handle.net/1866/10661

Though Odysseus’ tales to Eumaios and Aninoos in Odyssey 14.199–359 and 17.417–44, respectively, are presented as fictional tales within Homer’s larger myth, some elements have striking analogs in Late Bronze–Early Iron Age reality.

This article examines these portions of the hero’s false ainoi within their fictive context for the purpose of identifying and evaluating those elements. Particular focus is given to Odysseus’ declaration that he led nine successful maritime raids prior to the Trojan War; to his twice–described ill–fated assault on Egypt; and to his claim not only to have been spared in the wake of that Egyptian raid, but to have spent a subsequent seven years in the land of the pharaohs, during which he gathered great wealth.

Through a comparative examination of literary and archaeological evidence from the Late Bronze–Early Iron transition in the Eastern Mediterranean, it is shown that these aspects of Odysseus’ stories are not only reflective of the historical reality surrounding the time in which the epic is set, but that Odysseus’ fictive experience is remarkably similar to that of one specific member of the ‘Sea Peoples’ groups best known from 19th and 20th dynasty Egyptian records: the ‘Sherden of the Sea.’

Within the three-year Project “From the North Sea to the Norwegian Sea – interdisciplinary research on the Hanse”, founded by the German Leibniz-Association at the German Maritime Museum, questions were raised on the seaworthiness of ships of the Bremen-Type. The main object of the resulting research was the Late Medieval Bremen-Cog from 1378/79, which was found in 1962 in the river Weser close to Bremen and is today on display at the museum in Bremerhaven.
In order to evaluate the complex concepts of sea-keeping and oceangoing, a reliable hull form, as well as accurate construction details are required. Establishing the vessels overall hydrostatic characteristics, static and dynamic stability, and overall sailing abilities, requires detailed calculations using the centres of buoyancy, flotation and gravity.
This goal of the project was to examine the current form of the vessel on display, as well as attempting to distill several apparently conflicting data sets into a valid hypothetical reconstruction to be used as the basis for detailed hydrodynamic and sea-keeping analysis.

Since prehistoric times, people have used some kind of watercraft to cross rivers, seas and oceans, reaching far-off places - and they most likely used stones as anchors. After several centuries, watercrafts changed dramatically, i.e., construction changed from log to plank, plank to hull and from wood to steel; rowing and sailing were replaced by mechanical power; and carrying capacity increased. Similarly, anchors changed from stone to wood, from lead to iron and iron to steel. These aspects have been confirmed by evidence from various maritime archaeological investigations and shipwreck findings throughout the globe (Pulak 2005: 43; Tripati et al. 2014: 115-143; Curry 1999: 17-23; Wachsmann 1998: 255-293; Upham 1983: 3-25).

Occasionally the archaeological ship reconstructor is fortunate enough to encounter the remains of a vessel on which shipwrights' design marks have been preserved. La Belle (1684) has the most extensive and complete set of such marks documented to date. The distinguishing features of the distribution, number, and placement of La Belle's surmarks associate it with a graphic design system of "geometric fairing with diagonals," which was in use in French shipbuilding in the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

Section I of this essay presents the archaeological and documentary evidence that supports the conclusion that a graphic design system of "geometric fairing with diagonals" was used in La Belle's construction. It also discusses how and which specific measurements were applied to the reconstructed design procedures to regenerate La Belle's archaeologically documented hull shape.

Section II examines whether La Belle's design system was a completely new invention or whether it was developed from existing concepts of ship design. It will be argued that this system actually expanded on the basic concepts of Mediterranean moulding—a non-graphic design system of geometric fairing that was in use in European shipbuilding for centuries prior to La Belle's construction—in the process of adapting them to the methods of orthographic drawing.

Stella Ghervas (2018). "The Black Sea", in Oceanic Histories, ed. David Armitage, Alison Bashford and Sujit Sivasundaram (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018), pp. 234-266.

Abstract of the volume:
"Oceanic Histories is the first comprehensive account of world history focused not on the land but viewed through the 70% of the Earth's surface covered by water. Leading historians trace the history of the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and the world's seas from the Arctic and the Baltic to the South China Sea and the Sea of Japan/Korea's East Sea, over the longue durée. Individual chapters trace the histories and the historiographies of the various oceanic regions with special attention to the histories of circulation and particularity, the links between human and non-human history and the connections and comparisons between parts of the World Ocean. Showcasing oceanic history as a field with a long past and a vibrant future, these authoritative surveys, original arguments and guides to research make this volume an indispensable resource for students and scholars alike."

This study seeks to understand transformations in the modern capitalist World-economy in the North Atlantic. It specifically treats the material culture of four French shipwrecks dating from 1700 to 1760 :  la Dauphine (1704), l'Alcide (1747), l'Aimable Grenot (1749) and le Machault (1760). The starting point of this study is  the standardization of European material culture and the growing interstate exchanges in
an ever-stronger and integrated World-economy, or economic globalization. This study is built progressively, from the low-Ievel analysis of shipwreck assemblages to their global interpretation in conceptual terms, using three functional artefact groups: cargo, shipboard equipment and personal objects. The author seeks to identify the shipboard function of different artefacts and find their provenance, in order to study the production, the commercialization and the diffusion of the different productions found on the shipwrecks. He seeks a  closer understanding of the trends and dynamics underlying the European Atlantic economy during the I8th century, when the most powerful states of Western Europe fought for military and economic control of the continent.

Cette étude cherche à  comprendre les transformations en cours au sein de l'économie-monde capitaliste moderne. Elle s'intéresse spécifiquement à l'étude de la culture matérielle de quatre épaves
françaises datant de la  période 1704-1760 : la Dauphine (1704), l'Alcide
(1747), l'Aimable Grenot (1749) et le Machault (1760). La question centrale qui guide cette thèse est celle de l'uniformisation de la culture matérielle européenne, liée à l'accroissement des échanges interétatiques au sein d'une économie-monde atlantique intégrative, c'est-à-dire avec la  globalisation des marchés. La thèse se construit de manière progressive, de l'étude fonctionnelle et contextuelle des collections d'épaves à  leur interprétation en termes économiques plus larges, en fonction de trois classes fonctionnelles maritimes: les cargaisons, le  matériel de bord et les objets personnels. Après avoir organisé les artefacts pour chaque épave selon une grille fonctionnelle originale, l'auteur s'attache à reconnaître les fonctions à  bord des objets et à  retrouver leur provenance. Il tente alors d'analyser la production, la commercialisation et l'ampleur de la diffusion de chaque production, de manière à  comprendre les dynamiques en jeux au coeur de l'économie-monde atlantique au début du XVIIIe siècle, où s'affrontent les principaux États de l'Europe occidentale.

This book presents a new study of Greek large-scale bronze statuary of the late Archaic and Classical periods. It examines the discovery, origin, style, date, artistic attribution, identification, and interpretation of the surviving bronzes, and focuses in particular on their technical features and casting techniques. It contains over 170 plates of photographs and drawings to illustrate its discussion.

It also places the development of the casting techniques in connection with the stylistic evolution in Greek free-standing sculpture. During the Classical period, artists preferred bronze to marble when creating their contrapposto figures. Indisputably, bronze gave particular freedom to artists in creating three-dimensional figures. In addition, the evolution in style encouraged the development of the uses of bronze to serve the new needs and tendencies in sculpture during the late Archaic and especially the Classical period. Through the examination of how technical matters affect style, this book presents fresh interpretations of these important monuments of Greek art and offers a new approach in the field of Greek free-standing bronze sculpture.

Within the three-year Project “From the North Sea to the Norwegian Sea – interdisciplinary research on the Hanse”, founded by the German Leibniz-Association at the German Maritime Museum, questions were raised on the seaworthiness of ships of the Bremen-Type. The main object of the resulting research was the Late Medieval Bremen-Cog from 1378/79, which was found in 1962 in the river Weser close to Bremen and is today on display at the museum in Bremerhaven.
It soon became clear that the shape of the Bremen Cog, as it currently stands, on display in the museum’s ship hall, is not a true representation of the hull shape but has suffered several periods of distortion. Consequently, a decision was made to attempt to examine the current overall hull shape and compare that to the available data sets.

Ten quarter-rudder arrangements found in Indonesia are described and illustrated with evidence for an llth arrangement. Some types have been used on vesselsof over 100 tons, while others occur on offshore fishingcraft and outrigger canoes. The ethno-archaeological evidencegathered in the field is used as a basis for consideration of quarter-rudders used in the Classical and Medieval Mediterranean.

https://www.college-de-france.fr/site/jean-pierre-brun/symposium-2021-2022.htm
The production and use of amphorae in the Phoenician world was a very important economic sector, both in the Levant and in all the areas colonized by the Phoenicians since the early 1st millennium BC and in the urban communities that developed in these areas on the basis of such colonial roots. Amphorae were an indispensable tool for transporting products such as wine, olive oil or salted fish, which were not only in great demand but also played an essential role in the economies of most of the Phoenician and Punic cities of the West. These amphorae were manufactured both in Carthage and its area of influence and in Gadir and its "Atlantic circle", following certain size, weight and capacity standards, adapting in each case the oriental traditions to the local regulations and needs. In this context, the production (in parallel to the "normal size" containers) of small-sized versions, interpreted in many cases as "miniatures" closer to household plain wares, without an economic value similar to that of their prototypes, was observed long ago. Their frequent finding in cult contexts (as offerings) and especially in funerary areas (necropolises and tofets) suggested this functional connection, and some scholars considered that their manufacture was specifically intended for this function as votives. In recent years, the study of a large group of items in Cadiz (the ancient Gadir) and in the southern coast of the Iberian Peninsula has allowed to refute the idea that in this area they were used in funerary contexts, and in turn has confirmed that the "miniatures" reproduced in detail the profiles of the amphorae of normal size, with capacities that are divisors of the same capacity standard for liquids. The distribution of these small amphorae, which includes findings both on land and underwater in various parts of the region, also supports that they were not only used as votive offerings in the maritime sanctuaries of the Bay of Cadiz, but may also have been used for commercial purposes. The aim of the paper will therefore be to discuss the available archaeological evidence and, in the absence of additional sources (epigraphic, literary, etc.), to place these data from Cadiz in the general context of the production of small amphorae in the Phoenician-Punic world, tracing the possible existence of "commercial samples".

This paper reviews the earliest empirical evidence for seafaring, leading to the exploits of Homo erectus in two world regions. This leads to the explanation of the rationale of replication experiments intended to establish the minimum conditions under which demonstrated maritime colonisations in the Lower Palaeolithic could have succeeded.

Up until the early 1950s interaction with iron, steel and steam shipwrecks off the New South Wales (Australia) coast was restricted to the very small number of people who had visited those sites using the cumbersome and highly specialised 'standard dress' diving equiopment for the purposes of commercial salvage. However the 1943 French invention of the self contained underwater breathing apparatus which came to be known as SCUBA would, in the post war period, make shipwreck diving more accessaible than ever before. This paper traces the development of SCUBA diving in New South Wales, early shipwreck investigations, and the rise of a new breed of shipwreck explorer 'the tech diver'.

"Few landscapes change more rapid than the marine. Sandbanks, channels and even complete coastlines can change dramatically overnight. This is a threat not only for modern mariners, our seafaring forefathers knew this problem also all too well. With modern techniques we can monitor these changes and adapt our maps on a regular basis. These techniques not only provide saver shipping, they can also be used to find the wreck of unfortunate former mariners. How can this method be used to predict where wrecks can be found. And, if a wreck is found, is it possible to preserve it?
In order to get a full picture of possible wreck sites, we need to know what the underwater landscape was in various periods, and how it has changed over time.
Historic Cartographical analysis can give and insight in the use and sometimes in the morphology of former landscapes. The problem with this is that it only provides qualitative information; i.e. descriptive data (map legends, interpretations, names or remarks). Modern remote-sensing devices give purely quantitative data. In order to model changes in landscape overtime, the historical qualitative data should be in some way ‘quantified’ to make calculations possible. If the historical records provide quantitative data as well, they should somehow be extrapolated to be comparable with modern high resolution data. This ‘quantifying’ of data can also be used for modern qualitative maps, such as soil type maps or land use maps.
This way historical data can be integrated with modern remote-sensing and survey techniques."

הגילוי המקרי של שני הצוללים בנמל העתיק של קיסריה הוביל לחשיפת מטען ימי עתיק גדול ומרהיב ביופיו, של ספינת סוחר מלפני כ-1,600 שנים שטבעה בים. על הקרקעית נותרו חשופים שרידי ספינה: עוגני ברזל ועץ ואביזרים ששימשו לבניית כלי השייט ותפעולו. בסיוע צוללים של רשות העתיקות ומתנדבים תוך שימוש בציוד מתקדם, התגלו פריטים רבים שהיו במטען הספינה.