Costal and marine Archaeology

Human records of short-term, catastrophic, geological processes, mainly in coastal or fluvial environments, and related phenomena in historic and prehistoric times have to be considered as functions of event intensities and impacts (and damages) caused on ancient human settlements and lives. Catastrophic events, such as, floods, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, and the collapse of ancient cultures, in particular, those allied to the birth of myths and legends, are the subject of long-lasting, vivid debate. Longer-term, more-or-less consecutive, geological processes and climatic fluctuations have a more pronounced effect on human history. Historical accounts provide many descriptions about cultural evolution in a recurrent manner. The geoarchives (geology, sedimentology, and geomorphology) and the human record (archaeology and history) are considered documentary evidence of these past events. Astronomical causes have introduced severe phenomena (warming, heavy precipitation, monsoons, droughts) imposed on ancient societies, including catastrophic meteor impact. Terrestrial upheavals and astronomical impacts have introduced a nonlinear character of a quasiperiodic nature in transforming human cultural evolution and reshaping the earth's surface. The transient nature of geological, geophysical, and proxy climatic indices, as well as, astronomical phenomena within the solar system, exhibit a wide spectrum of quasiperiodic frequencies as variable and effective environmental factors, which, in addition to anthropogenic factors, reshape the human context. Several conspicuous examples have been reported on mythological deluges and their relation to natural catastrophes. The Anthropocene sea level rise and climatic episodes have had a decisive and prominent role on coastlines and human settlements. Alluvial sediments, sedimentary deposits, and land modifications have drastic effects on settlements. These effects were memorized as floods, deluges, and fallen sky. World examples of disasters derived from the coastal Mediterranean, the Great Flood of Gun-Yu in China, and those from South America, Mesopotamia, and the Middle East and others, were critically assessed with scientific methods.

"The Arabian Gulf is a fairly shallow sea and during the Last Glacial Maximum was an open landscape that may have formed a refugia for human groups. The discovery of archaeological remains predating 8,000 years ago in the marine areas of the North Sea and English Channel would suggest that the Arabian Gulf also has a similar potential for the favorable survival of pre-marine transgression deposits. In addition, The Gulf has been part of a maritime trade network which extends back into the 7th millennium and so the region has the potential for shipwrecks from both the historic and prehistoric periods. However, despite this very little maritime archaeological research directed towards the discovery of such remains has been undertaken. Given the expense and logistical issues associated with diving and underwater survey this may not be entirely surprising. To survey the marine areas of Qatar alone using a team of divers would take many years, particularly given strong regional currents and limited visibility. In recent years the rapid development of geophysics has provided new opportunities to investigate wider areas of the marine landscape and to develop strategies for targeted diver inspections of geophysical anomalies.

The analysis of a large tract of geophysical data off the northwest coast of Qatar revealed more than 80 anomalies with a sea bed expression, some of which were clearly modern, and others that were considered to have reasonable archaeological potential. Of the anomalies subject to subsequent diver inspection, none proved to be of archaeological interest. However, the visual inspection of geophysical anomalies is providing valuable regional baseline data for the interpretation of anthropogenic marine signatures. The clarification of signatures from different types of anomalies enables the calibration of regionally important geophysical data. In addition, these inspections have significantly increased our understanding of the seabed characteristics around Northeastern Qatar. Future geophysical survey will be focused not simply on anomalies but on characterising the submerged landscape using higher resolution geophysical data from a range of sensors.
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L’obiettivo del Convegno Nazionale di Archeologia e Etnologia Navale, che ha cadenza quadriennale, è quello di offrire una panoramica complessiva sullo stato delle scoperte, delle indagini e degli studi che si sviluppano in Italia nei diversi settori di ricerca afferenti alle tre principali tematiche in cui si suddividono i lavori: archeologia navale, storia navale ed etnologia navale. Come già nelle precedenti edizioni, inoltre, viene ospitato il contributo di un collega straniero, destinato ad aprire una finestra su quanto accade al di fuori del nostro Paese. In occasione del Convegno del 2008 era stata la volta della Spagna, in quello del 2012 è toccato alla Croazia, mentre nell’edizione 2016 il ruolo d’onore è toccato all’Albania, rappresentata dal collega Zamir Tafilica.
In questo volume sono contenuti articoli e poster che spaziano sui più diversi argomenti: scoperte di nuovi relitti, studi e approfondimenti su relitti già noti, studi sull’attrezzatura navale, sull’iconografia, sulle fonti storiche, sulle tecniche costruttive, sulla storia della navigazione marittima e nelle acque interne, sulle tradizioni marinaresche, sulla conservazione del patrimonio archeologico ed etnologico, su quella della cultura materiale e immateriale legata al mondo della marineria, sui musei e sul restauro. Dal punto di vista cronologico, i contributi spaziano dalla preistoria all’età greco-romana, dall’epoca tardo-antica al Medioevo, dall’età moderna a quella contemporanea, per giungere fino al secolo scorso e ai nostri giorni con i temi legati all’etnologia e alla museografia.

Abstract. During the first campaign of excavation and restoration of the so called Villa dei dolia at Ancient Epidaurus, developed in the frame of a Collaboration Agreement signed between the Greek Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities, the Istituto Superiore per la Conservazione ed il Restauro in Rome and the Italian Archaeological School of Athens, an underwater survey was carried out along the coast of the Agios Vlassis Bay in the “Nissi” Peninsula, which hosts the acropolis of Ancient Epidaurus. The scientifc activity was funded by the EU Project Bluemed: Plan/test/coordinate Underwater Museums, Diving Parks and Knowledge Awareness Centres in order to support sustainable and responsible tourism development and promote Bleu growth in coastal areas and islands of the Mediterranean (progetto No. 703). During the archaeological surveys, the remains of a monumental building belonging to the Classical or Hellenistic age, with clear signs of Roman age reuse, were studied. A Greek inscription was also found in one of the building walls, reused as building element, showing the names ΙΣΥΛΛΟΣ and ΔΑΜΟΚΡΙΤΟΣ.

In recent years, numerous archaeological remains of dogs (Canis familiaris) have been found in the Southern Cone of South America. In Patagonia, the pre-Hispanic record was limited to the northeast. This article presents dog specimens recovered at archaeological site GUA-010 Conchal located in the western Patagonian channels of Chile. Their presence is related to hunter-gatherers showing marked marine adaptations. This study defines their chronology, characterizes them morphologically and morphometrically, estimates their body mass and age, and investigates their possible social roles. Our analyses indicates that the remains correspond to a pre-Hispanic dog dated at 870 ± 20 years 14 C BP (769-684 cal BP), thereby expanding the known

RESUMEN Los sitios que investigamos sobre la actual franja costera del Río de la Plata en el Sureste del territorio uruguayo ofrecen un registro arqueológico donde la ausencia de restos orgánicos es una constante. Por tal motivo, cuando queremos inferir –por ejemplo-qué estrategias de subsistencia practicaban los grupos humanos en el pasado, nos enfrentamos a un universo de vestigios restringido en relación al contexto sistémico. No contamos con macro restos vegetales, son muy escasos o nulos los restos faunísticos dependiendo del sitio y hasta el momento no se han recuperado restos óseos humanos que nos permitan practicar análisis de 13C u otros isótopos estables. En este marco, recurrimos a otro tipo de evidencia que puede aproximarnos al modo de obtención y procesamiento de los alimentos: la ergología lítica. Presentamos entonces, el abordaje metodológico, los resultados y la discusión del alcance del análisis de estos artefactos, en tanto evidencia de las prácticas alimenticias de los grupos que habitaron o frecuentaron el área durante la prehistoria.

ABSTRACT The sites we have investigated on the current coastline of the River Plate in the Uruguayan southeast territory provide an archaeological record where the absence of organic remains is a constant. Therefore, when we want to infer –for example-what subsistence strategies were practiced by human groups in the past, we face a restricted universe of remains in relation to the systemic context. We do not have plant macro-remains, faunal remains are very few or inexistent depending on the site, and so far we have not recovered human remains that enable us to practice 13C analysis or other stable isotopes. In this context, we turn to other evidence to address the method of food production and processing: lithic ergology. We present the methodological approach, results, and discussion of the scope of the analysis of these artifacts, as evidence of feeding practices of groups that inhabited or frequented the area during prehistoric times.

RESUMO Os sítios que investigamos sobre a atual costa do Río de la Plata a sudeste do território uruguaio, oferecem um registro arqueológico onde a ausência de restos orgânicos é uma constante. Por tal motivo, quando queremos deducir, por exemplo, que estratégias de subsistência praticavam os grupos humanos no passado, nos enfrentamos a um universo de vestígios restrito em relação a todo o contexto sistêmico. Não contamos com macro-restos vegetais, dependendo do sítio são extremamente escassos ou nulos os restos faunísticos e até o presente momento não recuperou-se restos ósseos humanos que nos permitam

Les sociétés du Néolithique et de l’Age du Bronze ancien installées en Bretagne ont érigé de nombreux monuments mégalithiques en bord de la mer. Aujourd’hui, plusieurs de ces vestiges, ensevelis sous les dunes ou submergés par la mer, sont des témoins spectaculaires de changements de l’environnement côtier et des activités humaines qui s’y sont déroulées. Afin d’apporter un éclairage nouveau sur les transformations de l’environnement et des activités humaines, une approche pluridisciplinaire mobilisant à la fois les compétences propres à l’archéologie, à la géologie et à la géomorphologie est mise en œuvre sur trois monuments submergés, situés sur la côte nord du Finistère : les allées couvertes de Kernic (Plouescat) et de Lerret (Kerlouan) ainsi que l’ensemble mégalithique de St. Cava (Plouguerneau).