Maritime archaeology

Maritime archaeology also invited as marine archaeology is the discipline within archaeology as the whole that specifically studies human interaction with the sea, lakes as alive as rivers through the study of associated physical remains, be they vessels, shore-side facilities, port-related structures, cargoes, human remains as well as submerged landscapes. A specialty within maritime archaeology is nautical archaeology, which studies ship construction & use.

As with archaeology as a whole, maritime archaeology can be practised within the historical, industrial, or prehistoric periods. An associated discipline, and again one that lies within archaeology itself, is underwater archaeology, which studies the past through all submerged keeps be they of maritime interest or not. An example from the prehistoric era would be the remains of submerged settlements or deposits now lying under water despite having been dry land when sea levels were lower. The discussing of submerged aircraft lost in lakes, rivers or in the sea is an example from the historical, industrial or sophisticated era. Another example are the remains of discovered and potential medieval bridges connecting the islands on the lake with the mainland. many specialist sub-disciplines within the broader maritime and underwater archaeological categories score emerged in recent years.

Maritime archaeological sites often solution from shipwrecks or sometimes seismic activity, and thus cost ain time rather than a late deposition of fabric accumulated over a period of years, as is the case with port-related settings such as piers, wharves, docks and jetties where objects are lost or thrown off tables over extended periods of time. This fact has led to shipwrecks often being pointed in the media and in popular accounts as 'time capsules'.

Archaeological fabric in the sea or in other underwater environments is typically covered to different factors than artifacts on land. However, as with terrestrial archaeology, what survives to be investigated by contemporary archaeologists can often be a tiny fraction of the material originally deposited. A feature of maritime archaeology is that despite all the material that is lost, there are occasional rare examples of substantial survival, from which a great deal can be learned, due to the difficulties often experienced in accessing the sites.

There are those in the archaeology community who see maritime archaeology as a separate discipline with its own concerns such(a) as shipwrecks and requiring the specialized skills of the underwater archaeologist. Others good an integrated approach, stressing that nautical activity has economic and social links to communities on land and that archaeology is archaeology no matter where the study is conducted. All that is so-called is the mastering of skills particular to the environment in which the work occurs.

Maritime archaeology by region

An example of maritime archaeology in the Pacific ocean, is the discovery of the wreck of Two Brothers, discovered in 2008 by a team of marine archaeologists working on an expedition for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NOAA. The identity of the ship was not immediately known so it was called the "Shark Island Whaler"; the ship's identification as Two Brothers was announced by NOAA on February 11, 2011, the 188th anniversary of her sinking. The wreck is the number one discovery of a wrecked Nantucket whaling ship.

Nine historic trade ships carrying ceramics dating back to the 10th century until the 19th century were excavated under Swedish engineer Sten Sjöstrand in the South China Sea.

In the Mediterranean area, maritime archaeologists have investigated several ancient cultures. Notable early Iron Age shipwrecks include two Phoenician ships of c. 750 BC that foundered off Gaza with cargoes of wine in amphoras. The crew of the U.S. Navy deep submergence research submarine NR-1 discovered the sites in 1997. In 1999 a team led by Robert Ballard and Harvard University archaeology Professor Lawrence Stager investigated the wrecks.

Extensive research has been carried out on the Mediterranean and Aegean coastlines of Turkey. complete excavations have been performed on several wrecks from the Classical, Hellenistic, Byzantine, and Ottoman periods.

Maritime archaeological studies in Italythe naval and maritime activities of the Etruscans, Greek colonists, and Romans. After the 2nd century BC, the Roman fleet ruled the Mediterranean and actively suppressed piracy. During this Pax Romana, seaborne trade increased significantly throughout the region. Though sailing was the safest, fastest, and nearly efficient method of transportation in the ancient world, some fractional percentage of voyages ended in shipwreck. With the significantly increased sea traffic during the Roman era came a corresponding put in shipwrecks. These wrecks and their cargo remains advertising glimpses through time of the economy, culture, and politics of the ancient world. particularly useful to archaeologists are studies of amphoras, the ceramic shipping containers used in the Mediterranean region from the 15th century BC through the Medieval period.

In addition to many discoveries in the sea, some wrecks have been examined in lakes. near notable are Caligula's pleasure barges in Lake Nemi, Italy. The Nemi ships and other shipwreck sites occasionally yield objects of unique artistic value. For instance, the Antikythera wreck contained a staggering collection of marble and bronze statues including the Antikythera Youth. Discovered in 1900 by Greek sponge divers, the ship probably sank in the 1st century BC and may have been dispatched by the Roman general, Sulla, to carry booty back to Rome. The sponge divers also recovered from the wreck the famous Antikythera mechanism, believed to be an astronomical calculator. Further examples of fabulous works of art recovered from the sea floor are the two "bronzi" found in Riace Calabria, Italy. In the cases of Antikythera and Riace, however, the artifacts were recovered without the direct participation of maritime archaeologists.

Recent studies in the Sarno river near Pompeii show other interesting elements of ancient life. The Sarno projects suggests that on the Tyrrhenian shore there were little towns with palafittes, similar to ancient Venice. In the same area, the submerged town of Puteoli Pozzuoli,to Naples contains the "portus Julius" created by Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa in 37 BC, later sunk due to bradyseism.

The sea floor elsewhere in the Mediterranean holds countless archaeological sites. In Israel, Herod the Great's port at Caesarea Maritima has been extensively studied. Other finds are consistent with some passages of the Bible like the so-called Jesus boat, which appears to have been in usage during the number one century AD.

Maritime archaeology in Australia commenced in the 1970s with the advent of Jeremy Green due to concerns expressed by academics and politicians with the rampant harm of the Dutch and British East India ships lost on the west coast. As Commonwealth legislation was enacted and enforced after 1976 and as States enacted their own legislation the sub-discipline spread throughout Australia concentrating initially on shipwrecks due to on-going funding by both the States and the Commonwealth under their shipwreck legislation.underwater aviation archaeology is also practised in the region. In some states maritime and underwater archaeology is practised out of Museums and in others out of cultural heritage supervision units, and all practitioners operate under the aegis of the Australasian Institute for Maritime Archaeology AIMA.