The discovery of ancient history in the deep sea using advanced deep submergence technology

The Skerki Bank Project was the first interdisciplinary effort to determine the importance of the deep sea to the field of archaeology. Over a nine ye ar period from 1988 to 1997, its various field programs resulted in the dis covery of the largest concentration of ancient ships ever found in the deep sea. In all, eight ships were located in an area of 210 km(2), including f ive of the Roman era spanning a period of time from 100 B.C. to 400 A.D., d ocumenting the existence of a major trading route in the central Mediterran ean Sea between ancient Carthage, Rome, Sicily, and Sardinia. The project i nvolved the use of highly sophisticated deep submergence technologies inclu ding towed acoustic and visual search vehicles, a nuclear research submarin e, and an advanced remotely operated vehicle. Precision navigation and cont rol permitted rapid yet careful mapping, both visual and acoustic, of each site with a degree of precision never attained before. Advanced robotics pe rmitted the recovery of selected objects for subsequent analysis without in trusive excavation. This multi-disciplinary effort of archaeologists, ocean ographers, and ocean engineers demonstrated that deep water archaeology has great promise and can be done without the exploitation of ancient sites fo r private gains. The Project also demonstrated that in the absence of evolv ing laws of the sea, a great deal of human history may be at peril. (C) 200 0 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.