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Hundreds of Shipwrecks Found in Eastern Mediterranean
Submitted by Augustin.Denis on Tue, 07/05/2011 - 19:08
The use of remote-operational submersible vehicles is revealing the presence of hundreds of shipwrecks on the floor of the Mediterranean Sea. Their exact positions remain secret, but marine archaeologists are mapping the sea floor to find and investigate the wrecks. Their results, presented at the World Conference of Science Journalists in Doha, are gaining new insights into the type of sea trade that used to exist, and the locations of past coastal cities.
Marine archaeologist Harun Ozdas at the University of Dokuz Eylul’s Institute of Marine Science and Technology, in Izmir, Turkey, reported the largest ever survey of the eastern Mediterranean, focusing especially along the coast of Turkey,. Using submersible research vessels capable of going to depths of up to 60 meters, as well as sonar and other tools, his team have explored the shallow sea floor. Often prompted by tip-offs from local divers and fishermen about the possibility of finding shipwrecks, Ozdas and his team are then mapping their positions using geographical information systems.
A total of 110 wrecks have been located since the survey began in 2005, out of an estimated 250 or more in the region. The results are being entered into a database that will only be made available to legitimate researchers wishing to work collaboratively on the findings. The team are not making the database publicly available for fear of looters and smugglers finding and damaging the wrecks and stealing artefacts.
“We’re open to scientists to participate in our project”, Ozdas told Heritage Portal.
Most wrecks are of small cargo vessels carrying fewer than 100 items, dating from Roman and Byzantine times. The varied cargo include amphoras (large storage jars), statues, a Roman sarcophagus, millstones, stone columns and plates. Most have yet to be excavated to analyse their cargo further.
Besides revealing a variety of cargo, the wrecks are clustered around what appear to have been the harbours of ancient coastal settlements, many of which are now submerged. Altogether the findings reveal the existence of a general trade route along the Turkish coastline between islands, the mainland and coastal cities. Next the team plan to do deeper water research.
“Archaeologists would like to find earliest shipwrecks, such as from the Bronze age – we know they exist because of written records. The oldest trading ship we found was from the 14th Century BC”.
Ozdas was presenting in a session at the 7th World Conference of Science Journalists in Doha, Qatar, on "Cultural Treasures Under the Water in the Mediterranean Sea".
By Julie Clayton, via Heritage Portal
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| Image credits: Professor Harun Ozdas, University of Dokuz Eylul’s Institute of Marine Science and Technology |
A total of 110 wrecks have been located since the survey began in 2005, out of an estimated 250 or more in the region. The results are being entered into a database that will only be made available to legitimate researchers wishing to work collaboratively on the findings. The team are not making the database publicly available for fear of looters and smugglers finding and damaging the wrecks and stealing artefacts.
“We’re open to scientists to participate in our project”, Ozdas told Heritage Portal.
Most wrecks are of small cargo vessels carrying fewer than 100 items, dating from Roman and Byzantine times. The varied cargo include amphoras (large storage jars), statues, a Roman sarcophagus, millstones, stone columns and plates. Most have yet to be excavated to analyse their cargo further.
Besides revealing a variety of cargo, the wrecks are clustered around what appear to have been the harbours of ancient coastal settlements, many of which are now submerged. Altogether the findings reveal the existence of a general trade route along the Turkish coastline between islands, the mainland and coastal cities. Next the team plan to do deeper water research.
“Archaeologists would like to find earliest shipwrecks, such as from the Bronze age – we know they exist because of written records. The oldest trading ship we found was from the 14th Century BC”.
Ozdas was presenting in a session at the 7th World Conference of Science Journalists in Doha, Qatar, on "Cultural Treasures Under the Water in the Mediterranean Sea".
By Julie Clayton, via Heritage Portal