Арсенал у Задру, изграђен у 18. веку као складиште ратне флоте.
Данас је овај споменик културе од изузетног значаја
претворен у једно од седишта јавног, културног и забавног градског живота,
са изложеном репликом чувеног нинског брода (усправно, на зиду)
Session title: UNDERWATER ARCHAEOLOGY; PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE
Organizers: Irena Radić Rossi, Croatian Conservation Institute, Underwater Archaeology Department, Zagreb, Croatia
Andrej Gaspari, Military Museum of Slovenian Armed Forces, Ljubljana-Šentvid, Slovenia
Andrzej Pydyn, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Torun, Poland
Тime: Thursday all day, Friday morning
Room: 143
Session abstract:
The large number of easily reachable sites, the very limited number of experts engaged in the protection of underwater cultural heritage, nearly impossible permanent control of non excavated or partly excavated sites, the lack of funding for the accurate excavations and, even more, for the long and expensive conservation processes are just some of the problems to be addressed while considering the future of underwater archaeology. On the other hand, the attractiveness of underwater archaeological research, sites and finds offer great possibilities for sustainable development based on cultural heritage that could offer bright prospects for the future work. From the first attempts in the 15th century to explore the underwater archaeological remains, through some great discoveries at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, during last 60 years underwater archaeology has gained its position as a respectable branch of the archaeological science. The study of underwater archaeological evidence has made great progress by applying dry-land archaeological techniques and adapting them to the underwater environment. Constant improvement of the diving and underwater archaeological equipment, as well as applying the new technologies in underwater research, help archaeologists to gather more and more information that contribute to the importance of the archaeological excavations in salt and fresh water, as well as water-logged sediments. Relatively recent deep water research opened a multitude of questions about the ancient navigation and managing the underwater archaeological sites.
Specific natural conditions under water in many cases helped to preserve various organic materials from different periods of the human past, as well as many valuable works of art that could have easily perised on land. Numerous remains of shipwrecks from prehistory to modern times represent an interesting and attractive direct evidence of seafaring, trade, cultural exchange and political situations, while abundance of architectural remains and movable finds from the ancient ports or other submerged structures provide evidence for many different aspects of everyday life. They also offer useful data for the interpretation of all kind of geological and climate changes that caused notable changes of the sea-level or inland water courses. Therefore, multidisciplinary studies, becoming more and more frequent, make use of all the rich and various archaeological records provided from underwater archaeological layers and render it useful for many different purposes.
List of arguments to be presented and/or discussed:
Learning from history; positive and negative experience from the past or on-going underwater archaeological projects;
Respectable examples; presentation of underwater archaeological sites, excavations or complex projects that strike the importance of underwater archaeology and its achievements;
Mapping of underwater cultural heritage;
Methodology of underwater archaeological research;
New technologies and deep water archaeological research; Multidisciplinary studies applied on underwater archaeological sites;
Salt water - fresh water - water-logged environment; differences and similarities in excavation methodology and conservation processes;
In situ protection of underwater cultural heritage; how to prevent the sites from constant or occasional looting;
In situ presentation of underwater cultural heritage; how to manage the attractive underwater archaeological sites;
Modern shipwrecks and sunken aircrafts - increasing problem in terms of protection
Private collections and amateur divers; is there a possibility to organize a peaceful coexistence;
Legislation and practice; coherence or discrepancy.