A Roman Shipwreck off the Island of Capraia, Italy (original) (raw)
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FOLD&R Fasti On Line Documents & Research, 470, 2020
The Stella River (Udine, Italy) was in antiquity one of the most important watercourses of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, its relevance residing in that it connected the populations living in the foothills of the Alps to the ones living near the Adriatic coast. The Anaxum Project (named after the Roman appellation for the river), a partnership between the Department of Humanities and Cultural Heritage of the University of Udine and the local Archaeological Superintendency, aims to reconstruct the history of the Stella River basin focusing on human-landscape relationships through time. This article describes the part of the project focused on the study of a Roman shipwreck area; in particular, the relation-ship between the remains of a barge and a spread of archaeological material, which without a break stretches north of the hull for tens of meters. The aim was to find out if this material could be part of the cargo of the same wreck, to assess the original dimensions of the boat, as well as to ascertain the dynamics of the sinking and post-depositional events. Thanks to the methodology used during the underwater archaeological research, it was possible to establish in the whole area investigated the homogeneous presence of tegulae (roof tiles) equal to those that were part of the known cargo of the ship; the presence of the same producer names on the tegulae stamps provides the most solid proof that the spread of archaeological material is linked with the barge. However, it seems unlikely that all of the tegulae recovered were on the same boat. In accordance with the stowage scheme observed, the boat could not be laden with more than 55 tegulae per linear meter. This means that even if we do not consider the fact that we have partial data (many tiles are still on the river bottom), at its widest part the vessel would have been over 13 meters to accommodate all recovered tiles. At present, one explanation could be that this archaeological site represents a convoy and that a second vessel might have been involved in the sinking.
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This article describes the part of the project focused on the study of a Roman shipwreck area; in particular, the relation-ship between the remains of a barge and a spread of archaeological material, which without a break stretches north of the hull for tens of meters. The aim was to find out if this material could be part of the cargo of the same wreck, to assess the original dimensions of the boat, as well as to ascertain the dynamics of the sinking and post-depositional events. Thanks to the methodology used during the underwater archaeological research, it was possible to establish in the whole area investigated the homogeneous presence of tegulae (roof tiles) equal to those that were part of the known cargo of the ship; the presence of the same producer names on the tegulae stamps provides the most solid proof that the spread of archaeological material is linked with the barge. However, it seems unlikely that all of the tegulae recovered were on the same boat. In accordance with the stowage scheme observed, the boat could not be laden with more than 55 tegulae per linear meter. This means that even if we do not consider the fact that we have partial data (many tiles are still on the river bottom), at its widest part the vessel would have been over 13 meters to accommodate all recovered tiles. At present, one explanation could be that this archaeological site represents a convoy and that a second vessel might have been involved in the sinking.
Deep water archaeology in the Aeolian Islands: the Panarea III Hellenistic shipwreck
Shepherd, G. 2021 ed, Interaction and Identity Sicily and South Italy from the Iron Age to Late Antiquity, 2021
The Aeolian Archipelago is a group of seven volcanic islands located north of Sicily, in the Southern Tyrrhenian Sea (Fig. 1a). Strong winds, together with marine currents, unpredictable weather conditions, dangerous reefs and unexpected shallow rocks make the Archipelago’s waters one of the most dangerous navigation spots of the Mediterranean (Fig. 1b). Despite such hazardous environmental conditions, the Archipelago has been one of the most important nodes of the Mediterranean commercial network for more than 7000 years (Bernabò Brea & Cavalier 1991; Bernabò Brea et al. 1998). Mycenaean and Egyptian pottery found on the islands indicates intense prehistoric crossroads. Greek, Roman, Punic, Arab and Norman archaeological evidence found on land as well as underwater demonstrates that the islands played a crucial role not only as the main point of control over the Messina Strait, but also as key logistical locations for naval battles. Dozens of shipwrecks have been documented on the seabed of the Aeolian Islands, with dates that span from the Bronze Age to modern times (Bernabò Brea et al. 1985; Bound 1989, 1992). This chapter focuses on one of those shipwrecks: the Panarea III. Discovered in 2010 (Gambin et al. 2010; Tisseyre in press) and investigated in 2014–2015 (La Rocca 2015; 2016; La Rocca & Tusa 2016), the shipwreck provides insights into the economy and the commercial networks of a very important moment in the history of the Mediterranean: the end of the Second Punic War (218–201 BC). Moreover, as the shipwreck lies at a depth of 112m, an innovative investigative strategy has been adopted in order to investigate it. The strategy includes remote sensing mapping tools, such as Side Scan Sonar (SSS), a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV), a two-seat deep water submarine, and a team of technical divers specialising in deep water survey and documentation operating with mixed gases. The methodological approach was unprecedented and results outstanding.