The 4th-century B.C. shipwreck at Mazotos, Cyprus: New techniques and methodologies in the 3D mapping of shipwreck excavations

Abstract Well preserved ancient shipwrecks are rare in the archaeological record, but when discovered, they can provide valuable information on a wide range of research issues if analyzed and documented properly. In this paper we discuss the significance, potential, and constraints of mapping methods applied during the underwater excavation of shipwreck sites with special emphasis on stratigraphy, documentation of finds, and reconstruction of site formation processes. As a case study, we present the digital photogrammetry and computer vision software programs used in the excavation of the 4th-century b.c. shipwreck at Mazotos, Cyprus. Our goal is to develop a targeted documentation and mapping method of ongoing shipwreck excavations so that others can address complex research questions concerning this unique discipline of archaeology.

[1]  J. N. Green,et al.  SIMPLE UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAMMETRIC TECHNIQUES , 1971 .

[2]  Maurice Blaustein,et al.  L'épave romaine Grand Ribaud D (Hyères, Var) , 1988 .

[3]  Jeremy N. Green,et al.  Maritime Archaeology: A Technical Handbook , 1990 .

[4]  Alexis Catsambis,et al.  The Oxford handbook of maritime archaeology , 2011 .

[5]  Colin Martin,et al.  Wreck-Site Formation Processes , 2013 .

[6]  Jonathan Adams,et al.  Ships and boats as archaeological source material , 2001 .

[7]  Jeremy Green,et al.  Evaluation of underwater surveying techniques , 2003 .

[8]  R. Ballard,et al.  Deepwater Archaeology of the Black Sea , 2002 .

[9]  Martin Gibbs,et al.  Cultural Site Formation Processes in Maritime Archaeology: Disaster Response, Salvage and Muckelroy 30 Years on , 2006 .

[10]  Pierre Drap,et al.  Underwater Photogrammetry for Archaeology , 2012 .

[11]  Pierre Grussenmeyer,et al.  Underwater photogrammetry and XML based documentation system : the case of the ‘Grand Ribaud F' estruscan wreck , 2002 .

[12]  Yaacov Kahanov,et al.  Ship Reconstruction, Documentation, and In Situ Recording , 2013 .

[13]  Richard A. Gould,et al.  Archaeology and the Social History of Ships: Frontmatter , 2011 .

[14]  Sean A. Kingsley,et al.  The ancient harbour and anchorage at Dor, Israel : results of the underwater surveys 1976 - 1991 , 1996 .

[15]  D. Stewart,et al.  Formation processes affecting submerged archaeological sites:An overview , 1999 .

[16]  C. Roman,et al.  The 2005 Chios Ancient Shipwreck Survey: New Methods for Underwater Archaeology , 2009 .

[17]  Luc Long,et al.  "Premiers résultats sur l'épave profonde Grand Ribaud F (Giens, Var). Quelques éléments nouveaux sur le commerce Etrusque en Gaule, vers 500 av. J.C.". , 2002 .

[18]  Joachim Höhle,et al.  International Archives of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing : XVIII ISPRS Congress, Wien, 1996 , 1996 .

[19]  Craig Forrest,et al.  The Oxford Handbook of Maritime Archaeology , 2012 .

[20]  H. M. Karara,et al.  Non-topographic photogrammetry , 1989 .

[21]  Joan Aruz,et al.  Beyond Babylon: Art, Trade, and Diplomacy in the Second Millennium B.C. , 2008 .

[22]  Jamie Quartermaine,et al.  The Tel Akko Total Archaeology Project (Akko, Israel): Assessing the suitability of multi-scale 3D field recording in archaeology , 2013 .

[23]  G. Bass Archaeology Under Water , 1966 .

[24]  G LoweDavid,et al.  Distinctive Image Features from Scale-Invariant Keypoints , 2004 .

[25]  Joachim Höhle Reconstruction of the Underwater Object , 1971 .

[26]  M. Canciani,et al.  LOW COST DIGITAL PHOTOGRAMMETRY FOR UNDERWATER ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE SURVEY AND ARTIFACT ISERTION. THE CASE STUDY OF THE DOLIA WRECK IN SECCHE DELLA MELORIA-LIVORNO-ITALIA. , 2004 .

[27]  Bernard Liou,et al.  L'épave romaine de l'anse GerbaI (Port-Vendres) , 1974 .

[28]  Shelley Wachsmann Deep-Submergence Archaeology , 2013 .

[29]  George F. Bass,et al.  Underwater Surveying and Draughting—A Technique , 1962, Antiquity.

[30]  Anne-Marie Moigne,et al.  Excavacions arqueologiques subaquatiques a cala culip I. J. Nieto et alii, Girona, Centre d'Investigacions Arqueologiques de la Diputacio , 1990 .

[31]  John M. O'shea,et al.  The archaeology of scattered wreck‐sites: formation processes and shallow water archaeology in western Lake Huron , 2002 .

[32]  C. A. HART,et al.  Manual of Photogrammetry , 1947, Nature.

[33]  Steven E. Sidebotham,et al.  Yassi Ada I. A Seventh Century Byzantine Shipwreck , 1988 .

[34]  Christopher Hunt,et al.  Notes on the OpenSURF Library , 2009 .

[35]  Thomas Bayne,et al.  The age of Alexander the great , 1893 .

[36]  Deborah N. Carlson The Classical Greek Shipwreck at Tektaş Burnu, Turkey , 2003, American Journal of Archaeology.

[37]  North Carolina Maritime Archaeology in , 2002 .

[38]  Jeremy Green,et al.  Underwater archaeological surveying using PhotoModeler, VirtualMapper: different applications for different problems , 2002 .

[39]  Dimitrios Skarlatos,et al.  An ‘Open’ Method for 3D Modelling and Mapping in Underwater Archaeological Sites , 2012 .

[40]  D. Yoerger,et al.  Iron Age Shipwrecks in Deep Water off Ashkelon, Israel , 2002, American Journal of Archaeology.

[41]  Ian Hodder,et al.  The Archaeological Process: An Introduction , 1999 .

[42]  Douglas Haldane,et al.  Anchors of Antiquity , 1990, The Biblical Archaeologist.

[43]  Luc Van Gool,et al.  Speeded-Up Robust Features (SURF) , 2008, Comput. Vis. Image Underst..

[44]  G. Bass,et al.  Cape Gelidonya: a bronze age shipwreck , 1967 .

[45]  A. J. Parker Stratification and contamination in ancient Mediterranean shipwrecks , 1981 .

[46]  Markos Katsianis,et al.  A 3D digital workflow for archaeological intra-site research using GIS , 2008 .

[47]  Stella Demesticha,et al.  The 4th‐Century‐BC Mazotos Shipwreck, Cyprus: a preliminary report , 2011 .

[48]  Jean-Pierre Joncheray L'épave Dramont C , 1994 .

[49]  Edward C. Harris,et al.  Techniques of archaeological excavation , 1989 .

[50]  Claude Santamaria,et al.  L'épave Dramont « E » à Saint-Raphaël (Ve siècle ap. J.-C.) , 1995 .

[51]  A. J. Parker The Ma’agan Mikhael Ship. The Recovery of a 2400‐Year‐Old Merchantman. Final Report Volume II by Yaacov Kahanov and Elisha Linder , 2006 .

[52]  Susan Katzev,et al.  The Kyrenia Ship: Her Recent Journey , 2008, Near Eastern Archaeology.

[53]  Joan Throckmorton,et al.  The Roman wreck at Pantano Longarini , 1973 .

[54]  Anna Marguerite McCann,et al.  Deep-water Shipwrecks Off Skerki Bank: The 1997 Survey , 2005 .

[55]  Ingrid Ward,et al.  A New Process-based Model for Wreck Site Formation , 1999 .

[56]  Fredrik T. Hiebert,et al.  Deepwater Archaeology of the Black Sea: The 2000 Season at Sinop, Turkey , 2001, American Journal of Archaeology.

[57]  Patrice Pomey,et al.  Les épaves grecques du VIe siècle av. J.-C. de la place Jules-Verne à Marseille , 1998 .

[58]  Edward C. Harris,et al.  Principles of archaeological stratigraphy , 1979 .

[59]  Paul K. Wason The archaeology of rank: NEW STUDIES IN ARCHAEOLOGY , 1994 .

[60]  Robert F. Heizer,et al.  Field methods in archaeology , 1975 .

[61]  André Tchernia L'Épave romaine de la Madrague de Giens (Var), campagnes 1972-1975 : fouilles de l'Institut d'archéologie méditerranéenne , 1978 .

[62]  Georges Raepsaet,et al.  A. Hesnard, M.-B. Carre, M. Rival, B. Dangréaux, avec la collaboration de M. Thinon, M. Blaustein et M. Dumontier (texte) ; A. Chéné, Ph. Foliot, avec la collaboration de H. Bernard-Maugiron (documents), L'épave romaine «Grand Ribaud D» (Hyères, Var) , 1989 .

[63]  J. Richard Steffy,et al.  Wooden Ship Building and the Interpretation of Shipwrecks , 1994 .

[64]  Carlo Beltrame Processi formativi del relitto in ambiente marino mediterraneo , 1998 .

[65]  Cemal Pulak,et al.  The Uluburun shipwreck: an overview , 1998 .