Maritime Archaeology
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 …
Archaeologists urge Albania to protect underwater heritageRead More
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. …
Eight new shipwrecks discovered in Fourni archipelagoRead More
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, …
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, …
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 …
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
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 …
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 …
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, …
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 …
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 …
Multibeam Sonar Technology and Geology to Interpret Ancient Harbor Subsidence off Crotone Peninsula, Italy Multibeam sonar (MBS) technology was developed to examine in great detail large stretches of the seafloor surface, providing accurately positioned and excellent 2-D and 3-D images of features as small as a few centimeters or covering areas as large as hundreds …
