Archaeological Institute lecture: 'The Black Sea Maritime Archaeology Project'

Kroum Batchvarov of the University of Connecticut will present  a lecture on the Black Sea Maritime Archaeology Project, one of the largest maritime archaeological projects ever staged,

The lecture is sponsored by the Archaeological Institute of America and Augustana College.

Since 2015 the Black Sea MAP has been investigating the changes in the ancient environment of the Black Sea region, including the impact of sea level change during the last glacial cycle and interconnectivity through the millennia. 

More than 60 wrecks have been discovered and recorded with the latest robotic laser scanning, acoustic and photogrammetric techniques. The earliest wreck found so far is from the Classical period from around the 5th-4th century BC. However, ships have also been found from the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman periods spanning two and a half millennia. 

They represent an unbroken pattern of trade and exchange, warfare and communication that reaches back into deep antiquity, and because of the anoxic (low oxygen) conditions of the Black Sea, some of the wrecks survive in incredible condition. Ships lie hundreds or thousands of meters deep with their masts still standing, rudders in place, cargoes of amphorae and ship’s fittings lying on deck, with carvings and tool marks as distinct as the day they were made by the shipwrights. Many of the ships show structural features, fittings and equipment that are only known from iconography or written description but never seen until now.