8. The Remote Exploration and Archaeological Survey of Four Byzantine Ships in the Black Sea

Abstract

as part of a long-term project developed by the Institute for Exploration (IFE) tested survey methodology and equipment for deep-water archaeological applications. Th e application of traditional and innovative remote-sensing methods supported standard archaeological approaches to site survey in a relatively hostile marine environment and resulted in the discovery of four shipwrecks that date to the 4th to 6th centuries ce, including one of the best preserved seagoing ships from antiquity, a discovery predicted by Willard Bascom (1976:38). Th is chapter reviews the maritime survey, describes methodology used to locate four ships in 2000 and data recovered from those sites in 2000 and 2003, presents preliminary conclusions about those vessels, and discusses directions and possible implications of future research.