The fourth season of the Fournoi Underwater Survey has been completed, a collaboration between the Hellenic Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities and RPM Nautical Foundation. From 7-29 September, the project continued to survey, document, and study the ancient, medieval, and post-medieval shipwrecks of the Fournoi archipelago in the eastern Aegean Sea. During the season five new wrecks …
Archaeologists urge Albania to protect underwater heritage
LLAZAR SEMINI, ASSOCIATED PRESS July 4, 2018 TIRANA, Albania — Hundreds of Roman and Greek artifacts and ancient shipwrecks sitting under Albania’s barely explored coastline are in danger of falling prey to looters or treasure hunters if not properly protected, researchers and archaeologists warn. James Goold, chairman of the Florida-based RPM Nautical Foundation, said the objects …
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Eight new shipwrecks discovered in Fourni archipelago
Embargoed until 13 July 2017 Eight new shipwrecks discovered in Greece’s Fourni archipelago, total of 53 shipwrecks A joint Greek-American expedition to the Fourni archipelago found eight new shipwrecks, bringing the total number of shipwrecks in the small archipelago to fifty-three. The Fourni Underwater Survey is one of the most exciting projects currently in archaeology. …
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The Technology of Where
When I was asked to write an article for this issue about the use of technology in archaeology, I began to think about the myriad of systems utilized in field work each season. Between the research vessel, guidance and steering systems, the ROVs remote sensing equipment, array of video feeds, data processing systems, display graphics, …
Marine Ecology
Biology of Archaeology Ecological Communities & Submerged Cultural Sites All life on the Earth is intimately connected to the ocean. The vast expanse of the world’s ocean is the single largest ecosystem on the planet, encompassing dynamic habitats such as tropical coral reefs, temperate kelp forests, and deep sea thermal vents. Throughout our storied history, …
Deep-Sea Survey Off Konavle, Croatia
This article about Croatia’s Submerged Heritage details a joint research campaign undertaken by RPMNF and The International Centre For Underwater Archaeology in Zadar. The two-week survey of the seabed off the Konavle coast and the methods used, including multibeam operations, are discussed, as well as the sites discovered throughout the course of the survey. Download …
A Roman Type IVB Wooden Anchor Found in the Corfu Channel, Albania
Lead components of a wooden anchor were discovered during the 2011 field season of the Albanian Coastal Survey, part of the Illyrian Coastal Exploration Program, a co-operative effort between RPM Nautical Foundation, the Albanian Institute of Archaeology, and the Albanian Ministries of Culture and Defense. Since 2007 an intensive survey for submerged cultural material has completed… …
A Roman Type IVB Wooden Anchor Found in the Corfu Channel, AlbaniaRead More
Illyrian Coastal Exploration Program (2007–2009)
The Roman and Late Roman Finds and Their Contexts This article by Jeffery G. Royal details the Roman and Late Roman archaeological finds discovered during the 2007 – 2009 years of the Illyrian Coastal Exploration Program (ICEP). In addition, this evidence is used to argue several points as to how the Romans influenced the economy …
Project Archeorete Egadi 2011
Discovery of the archaeological site where the battle took place Egadi on the morning of March 10, 241 B.C. This article details The Archeorete Egadi project, the goal of which was to retrace the exact locations of the naval battle of March 10 of 241 B.C. between the Romans and Carthaginians. Described is this underwater …
Benthic Habitat Mapping
A multi-method approach for benthic habitat mapping of shallow coastal areas with high-resolution multibeam data Abstract The coastal waters of the Maltese Islands, central Mediterranean Sea, sustain a diversity of marine habitats and support a wide range of human activities. The islands’ shallow waters are characterised by a paucity of hydrographic and marine geo-environmental data, …
The Levanzo I Wreck, Sicily
A 4th-century AD merchantman in the service of the annona? Between 2005 and 2009 a deep-water shipwreck was located, mapped, and partially excavated by a joint team from RPM Nautical Foundation and the office of the Soprintendenza del Mare, Sicily. Located off Levanzo Island, one of the Egadi Islands off north-west Sicily, this wrecked merchantman …
The Weapon That Changed History
Evidence of Rome’s decisive victory over Carthage is discovered in the waters off Sicily In his work The Histories, the second-century B.C. Greek historian Polybius chronicles the rise of the Romans as they battle for control of the Mediterranean. The central struggle pits the Romans against their archenemies the Carthaginians, a trading superpower based in …