Deep-Water Archaeological Discoveries on Eratosthenes Seamount

Details

• Journal Title:
  Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography
• Personal Author:
  Ballard, Benjamin ; Opait, Andrei ; Cornwell, Kelsey
• NOAA Program & Office:
  OAR (Oceanic and Atmospheric Research) ; Ocean Exploration Program
• Description:
  A team of earth scientists conducted a series of exploratory transects across the summit of Eratosthenes Seamount in 2010 and 2012 to better understand the geologic structure of this unique flat-topped feature in the East Mediterranean Sea. The team encountered 219 isolated amphorae and 3 shipwrecks using remotely operated vehicles equiped with both acoustic and optical image systems. The researchers could instantaneously communicate with archaeologists on shore by utilizing a high bandwidth satellite system on the E/V Nautilus. This system allowed researchers and archaeologists to better take advantage of this series of discoveries. The data collected during these field seasons, presented and discussed in this article, contributes to existing literature on the maritime traffic patterns of the ancient Eastern Mediterranean, and of open-sea travel over the underwater plateau from 800 BC—800 CE.
• Keywords:
  Seamounts Underwater Archaeology Underwater Exploration Underwater Archaeology Underwater Exploration OET (Ocean Exploration Trust)
• Source:
  Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography, 150, 1-32
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2017.10.014
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Mediterranean Sea
• Rights Information:
  Accepted Manuscript
• Rights Statement:
  The NOAA IR provides access to this content under the authority of the government's retained license to distribute publications and data resulting from federal funding. While users may legally access this content, the copyright owners retain rights that govern the reproduction, redistribution, and re-use of this work. The user is solely responsible for complying with applicable copyright law.
• Compliance:
  Submitted
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:aa1b91ea5a1b609c5d480bf6aa63ffa99d3d6e3ef71e08a459bfa4158b24dfd1351989de49a91401f5f4f7d1bf0562f4518fa199af0328b2271141587d986916
• Download URL:
  https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/30958/noaa_30958_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 10.36 MB ]