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Barbara Davidde METHODS AND STRATEGIES FOR THE CONSERVATION AND MUSEUM DISPLAY IN SITU OF UNDERWATER CULTURAL HERITAGE

he creation of Natural Marine Parks or Reserves and of Protected Marine Areas also comprising areas of archaeological or historical interest and the establishment of Underwater Archaeological Parks is proving to be an eective instrument in safeguarding underwater cultural heritage. The principal objectives of these institutions are the valorisation and conservation of the natural and cultural heritage, the protection of the property from clandestine actions and from the destructive forces of the elements and nally the enjoyment of the property itself.2 The protection and conservation of a submerged site or wreck is more complex, when it does not fall into the above category and is therefore devoid of surveillance and specic restrictions, such as the banning, for example, of navigation, anchorage, shing and unsupervised diving, etc. The conservator not only has to face up to the aquatic environment in order to limit deterioration, but also to the eventual, indeed, frequent actions of clandestine operators. With regard to wrecks, in no country is it possible to establish a programme that foresees the excavation, salvage, restoration and museum display of all the already known cases indicated on the archaeological maps. The same argument, even more so, goes for new sightings. On the other hand, not archaeologically investigating a well-known wreck means limiting our knowledge of naval construction techniques and of the economy and daily life in antiquity and not protecting it implicates losing it entirely. It is necessary to make choices and very often, above all in the case of wrecks of wood-constructed craft, the policy is usually to re-covery the site, once the necessary data has been accurately recorded or the site has been excavated and the cargo removed. The choice of re-covering is most certainly a positive factor in safeguarding and preserving the site, but prevents the public from gaining direct access to the monument.

. Such a choice is the conrmation of how eagerly awaited Unescos recommendation in 200 was, which proposed to valorize, protect and preserve underwater archaeological heritage in situ (unesco Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage Paris 2- -200 ); see also C. J. S. Forrest, Deng underwater cultural heritage , ijna , (International Journal Nautical Archaeology), 3 . , 2002, pp. 3- ; A. Strati, The protection of Underwater Cultural heritage : an emerging objective of Contemporary law of the sea, The Hague: Martinus Nijhosf Publishers, 995; G. Vedovato et alii, La tutela del patrimonio archeologico subacqueo, in Atti del Convegno Internazionale tenu-

tosi a Ravello dal 27 al 30 maggio 993 presso il Centro Universitario Europeo di Beni Culturali, Roma, Istituto Poligraco e Zecca dello Stato, 995. 2. J. D. Spirek, D. A. Scott-Ireton (Ed.), Submerged Cultural Resource Management. Preserving and Interpreting our sunken Maritime Heritage, New York, 2003; B. Davidde, Underwater archaeological parks : a new perspective and a challenge for conservation. The Italian panorama, ijna p. 50, 3 . , 2002, pp. 83-88; L. Fozzati, B. Davidde, Le aree archeologiche sommerse italiane. I parchi subacquei, in The Colloquia of the XIII International Congress of Prehistoric and Protohistoric Sciences, Forl 8- 4/09/ 996, Colloquium XXXVI, Archaeological Parks, 8, Forl, 996, pp. 83-96.

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barbara davidde The protection and conservation of wrecks


IN SITU

Obviously, dierent types of wrecks exist and therefore the methods and strategies to adopt for their protection, conservation and museum presentation in situ are dierent. From the conservation standpoint, ancient naval wrecks can be divided into two main categories:
Wood-constructed wrecks with or without cargo. Metal-constructed wrecks with or without cargo.3

The type of merchandise transported, and the furniture, ttings and equipment on board vary according to the historical period to which they belong, but from a conservation standpoint, these objects can be divided into three categories dened by their constituent materials:
Organic material: wood, leather, vegetable bres and animals. Inorganic material: ceramics, stone, metals. Mixed materials: organic and inorganic.

The presence of cargo is a positive factor in protecting the surviving wooden structures of the ship. Numerous studies on the inuence of marine and lake environments on the deterioration of wood conrm that wooden craft absolutely cannot be left uncovered on the seabed or lake bottom to be admired by the public, on pain of their rapid demise.4 The archaeological excavation that only considers the recovery of cargo, therefore, condemns the wreck itself to destruction. Re-covering or burying nds of organic origin and the wood structures of the ship in order to protect them, on completion of the excavation and archaeological documentation, is a practice whose value from a conservation standpoint has been amply discussed in literature.5
3. This category also includes wrecks of aircraft and helicopters resulting from combat action during the Second World War. See for example B. Jeffery, World War II Underwater Cultural Heritage Sites in Truk Lagoon : Considering a case for World Heritage Listing, ijna, 33. , 2004, pp. 06- 2 . 4. R. Brown, H. Bump, D. A. Muncher, An in situ method for determining decomposition rates of shipwrecks, ijna, 7,2, 988, pp. 43- 45; D. J. Gregory, Biological deterioration of organic artefacts in seawater, Maritime Archaeology Newsletter from Roskilde, Denmark, 8, 997, pp. 2 -23; A. Pournou, A. Jones, A. Mark, S. T. Moss, Monitoring the environment of the Zakinthos wreck site, in Art 99: 6th International conference on non-destructive testing and microanalysis for the diagnostics and conservation of the cultural and environmental heritage, Rome, May 7-20, 999 / Istituto Centrale per il Restauro, Rome, Italy. Associazione italiana prove non-distruttive (AIPnD), Italy, 999, pp. 200 -20 8; J. Cook, B. Kaye, A New Method for monitoring site stability in situ, Nautical Archaeology Society Newsletter, 2000, pp. 4-7; D. J. Gregory, Deterioration of wood in Nydam Mose, Maritime Archaeology Newsletter from Roskilde, Denmark, 3, 2000, pp. 23-27; A. Jones, A. Mark, S. T. Moss, Biodeterietion dynamics of marine wreck site determine the need for their in situ protection, ijna, 30. 2, 200 , pp. 299-305 with wide bibliography. See also the Scientic activity of the eu Project: Monitoring, Safeguarding and Visualizing North-European Shipwreck Sites: Common European Underwater Cultural Heritage (MoSS), www. mossproject. com. 5. See, for example, the sections dedicated to this subject in the Proceedings of the icom on Wet Organic Archaeological Materials Conferences; in particular D. V. Hogan, P. Simpson, A. M. Jones, E. Malthy, Development of a protocol for the reburial of organic archaeological remains, in Proceedings of the 8th ICOM Group on Wet Organic Archaeological Materials Conference, Stockholms 200 , Bremerbawen 2002, pp. 87-2 2; D. Gregory, Re-burial of timbers in the marine environment as a means of their long term storage : Experimental studies in Lynaes Sands, Denmark, ijna, 27. 4, 999, pp. 343-358; C. Caple, Reburial of waterlogged wood. The problems and potential of this conservation technique, Inter-

methods and strategies for the conservation 39 Also the Underwater Archaeological Operations Unit of the Istituto Centrale per il Restauro has been involved since 999 in a research and experimentation programme involving the conservation/restoration, also in situ, of underwater archaeological heritage.6 Within the framework of this project, the author has been involved in the study and assessment of conservation methods and protection systems for wrecks and submerged sites.7 This article proposes to summarize the experiences encountered up to now in this eld and oers archaeologists and conservators, who have the task of safeguarding and preserving underwater archaeological heritage in situ, some ideas to reect on. Protection systems in situ, commonly used for wrecks, will be examined and the methods used for underwater architectonic sites will be outlined. In conclusion, the subject of museum display in situ will be discussed. Protection systems IN SITU The reburial method Already in 892, Arthur Bulleid, during the excavation ( 892- 907) of the lake village at Glastonbury, one of the rst studies of humid sites in England, aware of the technological limits of his time with regard to the conservation of underwater archaeological nds, gave orders for the latter to be reburied and left on the bottom, requesting that the few items recovered be preserved in water until further notice. All the material from the excavation was then restored at a much later date in 962. The reburial method foresees the recovery of nds of organic material (fragments from the ship, which at times, if found intact, are purposely dismantled; objects discovered on board, etc.), their identication and documentation (graphic, photographic, archaeological, scientic analyses) and nally, their reburial in excavated trenches without necessarily being wrapped in special coverings or, alternatively, wrapped in some form of plastic fabric and/or stored in cases of various materials. This method has been adopted more frequently in Northern European countries and, in some cases, in the United States and Canada and is selected, above all, when the archaeological excavation renders a large number of nds that, for economic and organizational reasons, cannot be restored and exhibited to the standards generally accepted by the scientic community. In order to facilitate the task of those who, one day, may deal with their recovery, it is essential to number every single item and accurately record its position both in the trench and in the case itself, before its reburial.

national biodeteriation and biodegradation , 34. , 994:6 -72 and footnotes nn. 8, 9, 0 in this paper. 6. R. Petriaggi, The role of the Italian Central Institute of Restoration in the eld of the underwater archaeology, ijna, 3 . , 2002: 74-82; R. Petriaggi, Restauro subacqueo delle strutture sommerse della villa romana di Torre Astura, in Atti del secondo incontro di studi Lazio e Sabina, Roma, 7-8 maggio 2003, pp. 273-

276, Roma 2004, and the article by R. Petriaggi e R. Mancinelli also in this publication, pp. 09- 26. 7. Moreover, in agreement with the Archaeological Superintendence for Southern Etruria, experimentation of new protection systems for the piles of lake villages or, more generally, for submerged wood structures (stake-fencing, pile-work, etc.) is in progress, the results of which we shortly hope to be able to publish.

40 barbara davidde Let us now look at a number of signicant examples where this method has been adopted. The fragments and part of the cargo of a wood-constructed vessel of the East India Company, which foundered in 745 o the Gteborg archipelago in Sweden, were preserved according to this method.8 The parts of the craft and other individual nds were rst wrapped in a sheet of polyethylene and then in one of polypropylene, placed in wood containers and subsequently buried in trenches. I believe that using containers, which permit archaeologists to recover every single item without causing undue disturbance to the site, is a very valid method. In my opinion, it is essential to choose containers that do not perish in water. In 984, on completion of the archaeological excavation of the wreck of the San Juan, which had lasted about four years, it was decided to dismantle the vessel in numerous portions and bury the fragments under the seabed. All the pieces from the ship, which had sunk in Red Bay at the mouth of the Georgian Bay in Canada in the 6th century, were placed in a trench in three layers, surrounded and covered by sand and a geotextile fabric. This protection system proved to be ecient, in fact, using the geotextile protects the wood and impedes attack by biodeteriogenic organisms. The decision to dismantle the wreck before burying it leaves me somewhat perplexed, but perhaps the size of the vessel and its precarious state of conservation inuenced this course of action.9 The Marstrand Project, carried out between 997 and 2000, saw the reburial of 8590% of the nds discovered during the underwater archaeological excavation (about 0,000 objects) on completion of the documentation process. The trenches were dug at a depth of about 2 to 3. 5 m; nds of organic origin were put in the rst trench (25 x 20 m), while metal-based nds were put in the second ( 5 x 5 m). Large portions of the wreck were buried directly in the trenches. Very small nds were, instead, protected and wrapped in loose polyester bre and then inserted into small boxes of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) (those in PE do not seem to last as long). Each item was given an inventory number and marked onto a map. The whole area was then covered with a layer of clay, about 50 cm thick. 0 Protection using sand from the seabed/lake bottom Of the in situ protection systems adopted, the most common is that of covering the remaining parts of the ship with a substantial layer of sand, without dismantling and placing them in purposely dug trenches. This is, without doubt, the most economic system as well as being ecient and easy to implement if the wreck lies on a sandy surface. On completion of the excavation survey, the site is reburied with sand simply using the air lift.
8. T. Bergstrand, In situ preservation and re-burial. Methods to handle archaeological ships remains in the archipelago of Gteborg, Sweden, in Proceedings of the 8th ICOM Group on Wet Organic Archaeological Materials Conference, Stockholms 200 , Bremerbawen, 2002: 55- 62. 9. J. Stewart, L. D. Murdok, P. Wadell, Reburial of the Red Bay Wreck as a form of preservation and protection of the historic resource, in Materials issues in art and archaeology IV: symposium held May 6-2 , 994, Cancun, Mexico, 995, pp. 79 -805. 0. I. Nystrm, Underwater cultural heritage management in western Sweden. Preventive conservation and re-burial of Woods, in Proceedings of the 8th ICOM Group on Wet Organic Archaeological Materials Conference, Stockholms 200 , Bremerbawen, 2002: 67- 74. . E. Riccardi has designed a device to apply to the air lift, which has proved eective in facilitating the protective reburying of wrecks, see E. Riccardi, Tecniche di lavoro subacqueo per larcheologia. Mare ed Ipogei, Savona, 998: 57-58.

methods and strategies for the conservation 4 This system obviously can neither be adopted in relatively shallow areas (the wreck would soon be uncovered by the action of the sea), nor in the vicinity of popular resort areas: the wreck would be easy prey to curious intruders and vandals. If this method is used, it is necessary to provide for a monitoring programme to check that the wreck does not re-emerge from the seabed and become exposed to biodeteriogenic attack or to undesirable intruders. The Roman ship of Spargi ( 20- 00 BC), for example, was tampered with on various occasions by unknown intruders despite the archaeologists carefully reburying it with sand after each excavation and/or documentation campaign, which were carried out between 958-59 and 980. 2 Many cases like this exist, although they are rarely reported in literature. In the summer of 980 the hull of the Spargi wreck was protected by a layer of crocks and stones, a strong nylon net, xed with metallic forks and another layer of crocks and stones. The top was covered by a thick layer of sand. 3 The observations published by Patrice Pomey are interesting apropos of this subject, where he refers to the state of conservation of twenty-six ancient wrecks discovered o the French coast, excavated and then reburied with sand from the seabed and examined during surveys conducted as part of a dendrochronological study project. In 35% of the wrecks examined, which had all been discovered at about 30 metres in depth, apart from one found at 4-6 metres, the wood was in a good state of conservation because the layer of overlying deposits had remained unchanged over the years, thanks to the depth of the site where the wrecks came to rest. In 46% of the wrecks, instead, the structural wood had almost completely disintegrated while in 9% of the cases, it was found to be in a highly fragile state and in danger of deteriorating irremediably within a short period. The reasons, according to the French archaeologist, for the poor condition of the wood for 65% of the wrecks examined, are the relative shallowness of the site of rest, the intrusion of unknown persons, the destructive action of the archaeological excavation and also the type of covering used, the sand from the seabed that, evidently proved to be somewhat ineective. 4 Protection with sand and rubber fabric The wreck of the Stora Soa ( 627) of about 40 m in length, discovered at about 26 metres in depth, was protected by a layer of sand and a rubber covering, whose spe2. F. Pallares, 984, Il relitto della Nave romana di Spargi. Campagne di scavo 958- 980, Bollettino dArte. Suppl. 37-38. Archeologia Subacquea 3, 987: footnote n. 7: 0 . In carrying out this research, I have observed that, often in scientic publications dedicated to archaeological excavations of ancient wrecks, these events are only mentioned in passing, perhaps because they are considered irrelevant and therefore not worthy of being reported. Rarely, just to give an example, are the procedures to rebury the wreck for the time span between one excavation campaign and the next indicated, nor do we read news of monitoring programmes to assess the state of conservation of the vessel, once the latter has been permanently reburied on completion of the excavation and documentation campaigns. Because of the numerous interventions of the clandestine ones, F. Pallares writes that in 98 the mast of the Roman ship of Albenga has been covered by a nylon cloth and numerous fragments of amphorae, see: F. Pallares, Relazione sulla campagna archeologica sottomarina 985 sul relitto della nave romana di Albenga, Rivista di Studi Liguri, II, 4, 985, pp. 632-639: 632. 3. E. Riccardi, Tecniche di lavoro subacqueo per larcheologia. Mare ed Ipogei, Savona, 998: 55-57. 4. P. Pomey, Remarques sur la conservation in situ du bois de quelques paves antiques de Mditerrane, in Proceedings of the 8th ICOM Group on Wet Organic Archaeological Materials Conference, Grenoble 997, 998, pp: 53-57.

42 barbara davidde cic function was to impede the erosion of the sand. Small blocks of cement were placed on top of the rubber covering. 5 Protection with geotextile and sand or other lling materials The experiments conducted on the post-Byzantine wreck discovered o Zakintos proved that the geotextiles Terram 2000 and 4000, consisting of 70% polypropylene and 30% polyethylene, produced by Terram Geosynthetics, are excellent for protecting and reburying a wreck. Obviously, to prevent the fabric from moving, the latter must be re-covered, in its turn, by sand or preferably, by sandbags and/or sacks of lling material. Again at Zakintos, the ineectiveness instead, of the geotextile Terram 44 consisting of 00% polyester was demonstrated. 6 In 998, the wreck of a 7th century vessel that foundered o the island of Marstrand, found in an advanced state of deterioration due to both mechanical and biological marine action, was reburied successfully using a layer of clay brought from the port of Marstrand and then sand and geotextile fabrics covered, in their turn, by stones. This type of covering proved ecacious also in protecting the wreck from the currents generated by ferryboats. 7 Since 993, the Landesdenkmalamt Baden-Wrttemberg has been experimenting protection systems in situ using geotextiles and articial lling materials to protect the piles of lake dwellings at the prehistoric site of Sipplingen (Lake Constance). 8 The wrecks Burgzand Noord 0 (Netherland) and Darsser Kogge (Germany) were protected underwater with polypropylene gauze and sand. 9 The geotextile covering and sandbags may be successfully applied also for protecting historic and particularly fragile submerged architectonic ruins in situ, such as opus sectile paving, mosaics, etc.

5. T. Bergstrand, In situ preservation and re-burial. Methods to handle archaeological ships remains in the archipelago of Gteborg, Sweden, in Proceedings of the 8th ICOM Group on Wet Organic Archaeological Materials Conference, Stockholms 200 , Bremerbawen, 2002: 55- 62: 60- 6 . For the follow-up of this work see T. Bergstrand, The in situ preservation of the Stora Soa shipwreck, did we succedeed ?, in The 9th ICOM-CC WOAM Conference Copenhagen 6thth June 2004, in press. 6. A. Pournou, A. Jones, A. Mark, S. T. Moss, Monitoring the environment of the Zakinthos wreck site, in Art 99: 6th International conference on non-destructive testing and microanalysis for the diagnostics and conservation of the cultural and environmental heritage, Rome, May 7-20, 999 / Istituto Centrale per il Restauro, Rome, Italy. Associazione italiana prove non-distruttive (AIPnD), Italy, 999, pp. 200 -20 8; A. Pournou, A. Jones, A. Mark; S. T. Moss, In situ protection of the Zakynthos wreck, in Proceedings of the 7th ICOM-CC working Group on Wet organic archaeological materials conference Grenoble, Grenoble, 998: 58-64.

7. A. Olsonn, Cultural heritage management underwater in Sweden. A Westcoast perspective, in Proceedings of the 8th ICOM Group on Wet Organic Archaeological Materials Conference, Stockholms 200 , Bremerbawen, 2002, pp. 45- 54. 8. M. Kolb, Protection for the Third MillenniumSteps for the Protection of the Prehistoric Site of Sipplingen, Lake Costance, in Schutz des Kulturerbes unter Wasser, Beitraege zum Internationalen Kongress fuer Unterwasserarchaeologie (IKUWA 99) 8-2 Februar 999 in Sassnitz auf Ruegen, Lubstorf, 2000, p. 586. 9. See the Scientic activity of the eu Project: Monitoring, Safeguarding and Visualizing NorthEuropean Shipwreck Sites: Common European Underwater Cultural Heritage Challenges for Cultural Resource Management (MoSS) www.mossproject.com. and H. Jons, M. Manders, The ship wreck-site of the MoSS-Project, in 8th Conference for Underwater Archaeology, Lelystad 2930 march 2003, DEGUWA, in press; M. Manders, P. Palma, The main themes of the MoSS-Project, in 8th Conference for Underwater Archaeology, Lelystad 2930 march 2003, DEGUWA, in press.

methods and strategies for the conservation Protection with polyethylene sheets and sandbags

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This system uses sheets of polyethylene placed directly over the wreck, with sandbags positioned on top of the polyethylene.20 Protection with sand, sandbags and blocks of cement In some cases, wrecks discovered in shallow areas have been protected by various layers of sandbags, then covered by slabs of cement. At Torre Santa Sabina (Brindisi), one of the wrecks from Roman times discovered in the bay a few metres from the beach, was protected by the Archaeological Superintendence with geotextile and sandbags covered by large cement blocks.2 This seemed to be the only possible solution, given the shallowness of the site, and above all, its vicinity to a popular beach (part of the cargo had, in fact, been stolen during the period when the ship had remained totally unprotected). Unfortunately, we do not know what condition the wreck is in today; it would be advisable to plan a monitoring campaign. The protection system with cement slabs for a vessel found in shallow waters proved ecacious in the case of the rst archaic ship of Gela. The wreck, discovered in 988 at 4-5 metres depth, in the stretch of sea along the Bulala district coastline, had been the subject of several excavation campaigns. On completion of every campaign, the wreck was protected by a large quantity of sandbags, a thick layer of sand and by large slabs of cement. In this way, it was possible to protect the ancient ship and its cargo from destructive marine action, prying intruders and trawler shing nets.22 Protection using sandbags, electrically welded galvanized wire netting and sand In Italy, the protection system using sandbags and electrically welded galvanized iron netting, which is then covered by sand, is very common. The netting is held rmly to the seabed with stakes xed at -2 metre intervals. This method is also relatively economic and easy to implement. However, although it is more ecient than simply covering with sand or sandbags, it only provides limited protection over time as a result of marine agents attacking and corroding the netting and of potential intruders who nd no diculty in cutting through the latter. During the surveys conducted periodically in the 990s by the author on the wrecks at Santa Caterina di Nard (Puglia) and on that of the Secca dei Mattoni (the island of Ponza, Lazio), it was possible to observe the eect of the biological attack on the wire netting as well as the holes made by clandestine intruders, who had cut through the protective barrier with pincers and plundered the wreck of its cargo. These incidents are comparable with those recorded by the Superintendence of Tuscany on the wreck at Giglio Porto (the island of Giglio, Tuscany). It is necessary, also in this case, to organize periodic monitoring and replace the wire netting once corrosion has set in.23 The Ar20. E. Felici, Archeologia subacquea. Metodi, tecniche e strumenti, Roma, 2002: 224-225. 2 . Cfr. the paper by W. Basilissi et. al. in this publication: 57- 58. 22. R. Panvini, La nave greca arcaica di Gela (e primi dati sul secondo relitto greco), Palermo, 200 : 9. 23. B. Davidde, Underwater archaeological parks : a new perspective and a challenge for conservation. The Italian panorama, ijna, 3 . , 2002, pp. 83-88: 83-84.

44 barbara davidde chaeological Superintendence of Lazio has recently decided to replace the wire netting over the wreck of the Secca dei Mattoni. This system of covering, with some variations, was also adopted to protect the wreck of the ship at Grado (a cargo ship dating from the rst half of the 2nd century AD, currently being restored) on completion of the excavation campaigns. The wreck was covered with sheets of polyethylene, then by a layer of sand and nally by two layers of electrically welded wire netting connected by steel cables to four blocks of cement positioned at the top of the wreck. Furthermore, to prevent turbine blowers (in particular, mollusc shing craft) from approaching the site, twenty-four reinforced concrete blocks of weighing about three tons each were positioned around the wreck.24 Protection with sandbags and modular metal panels In order to experiment new methods of protection, the Archaeological Superintendence for Southern Etruria designed a special type of covering to protect the wreck of a 2nd century AD cargo ship, discovered at 38-40 metres depth o Montalto di Castro (Viterbo). The galvanized metal panels measure 2 m2 and are covered with breglass resin; the sides of each panel are reinforced with a steel bar welded onto the plate, also this coated with gelcoat. The bar makes it very dicult to cut through with shears. The panels are positioned in a tortoise-like shape connected to each other by 2 mm-thick galvanized chain links. In order to improve the camouage eect, a layer of gelcoat the same colour as the seabed was applied to the breglass resin. The whole system was then anchored to the seabed along the perimeter of the protected area with special anti-extraction galvanized iron stakes, 5 cm in diameter and to . 5 metres in length, tted with mobile locking lugs at the lower ends. This type of modular covering can also be removed in sections, and if the wreck is later excavated and salvaged, the covering can be used for another ship.25 Protection with modular painted iron cases without bottoms The pirogue discovered at Capodimonte (Lake Bolsena) in 99 at about - 2 metres depth was protected by 2 modular iron cases without bottoms, painted with a green anti-rust paint and placed over the full length of the pirogue, slightly overlapping each other and riveted together (the pirogue measures 9. 60 x 0. 80 x 0. 60). The cases contain holes to allow the water to circulate. The research project of the Underwater Archaeological Operations Unit of icr in agreement with the Archaeological Superintendence for Southern Etruria, has proposed opening the protective covering of the pirogue after thirteen years to check the state of conservation of the wood.26
24. P. DellAmico, Il relitto di Grado: considerazioni preliminari, Archeologia Subacquea. Studi, ricerche e documenti, ii, Roma, 997, pp. 93- 28: 94. A similar protection was proposed by F. Pallares for the Albenga wreck see F. Pallares, Relazione sulla campagna archeologica sottomarina 985 sul relitto della nave romana di Albenga, Rivista di Studi Liguri, lI, 4, 985, pp. 632-639: 638. 25. R. Petriaggi, Un nuovo metodo di copertura per il relitto di Montalto di Castro (vt), in Atti del Convegno Nazionale di Archeologia Subacquea, Anzio, 30-3 Maggio e Giugno 996, Bari, 997: 34 -344. 26. I take this opportunity to thank the Archaeological Superintendence for Southern Etruria for having agreed to the icr experimentation involving the protection in situ of the lake village piles and I am particularly indebted to Patrizia Petitti for providing me with the documentation relating to the covering of the pirogue.

methods and strategies for the conservation Protection with steel cases without bottoms

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Protection consisting of a modular steel case was used to protect the Phoenician ships of Mazarron.27 Each side of the case was xed into the seabed. The upper surface of the case consists of m2 modular panels that can be opened independently. The case was covered with a layer of sand and shingle, then by wire netting anchored to the seabed by stakes, and nally by a layer of sand and stones. The Spanish archaeologists say they are particularly satised with the experiment. Case-type protective systems, above all in steel and galvanized metal, although more costly, seem without doubt to be more eective from the conservation standpoint. The wreck is not weighed down by the weight of the protective material (cement slabs, sandbags, etc.) that covers it and is therefore protected not only from structural collapse, but also from trawler nets and anchors. Furthermore, the absence of light inhibits the development of biodeteriogenic organisms and therefore substantially slows down the deterioration processes. Organisms that thrive in the dark and in anaerobic environments continue to develop, but at a much slower rate and therefore less aggressively with regard to the wreck than their counterparts. Another positive aspect of this type of protection, like that of panels, consists in the fact that, both cases and panels can be dismantled and reassembled during excavation campaigns and/or used again for other wrecks. Protection using interlocking plastic crash barrier units This method has been proposed for the James Matthew Shipwreck found in Woodman Point, south of Fremantle, Western Australia and foresee the use of interlocking plastic crash barrier units commonly used in roadworks today, lled with sand.28 Protection using a silicone shell During the mid- 980s, one of the two wrecks of the Lido Signorino, near Marsala, was protected in situ with a rhodorsil rtv 600 silicone shell produced by Rhone Poulenc Italia, containing an added catalyzer w tixo bleu of 5% in weight. The shell was constructed at a depth of about 2 metres, at a temperature slightly less than 20.
27. I. Neguerela, Protection of Shipwrecks. The Experience of the Spanish National Maritime Archaeological Museum, in Underwater Archaeology and Coastal Management. Focus on Alexandria, Unesco-Paris, 2000: 580-586. 28. T. Winton, Road Lego a unique approach to management of shallow wreck site coming from an understanding of coastal and in situ processes, in The Fifth Word Archaeological Congress, Washington D.C. 2 st-June 26th, 2003: -7: As says the Author these units are lightweight, easy to handle with buoyancy adjustment by partially lling with sand and water, and chemically inert. They are placed in a pre-excavated shallow trench and interlocked to form a ring around the wreck. The water inside the units is then displaced by sand from a diver-operated water dredge. Sand is then pumped inside the ring of interlocking units until the wreck-site is covered to the required depth. The crash barrier units have a conguration conducive to withstand wave loading and the circular formed structure has inherent structural strength to resist partial collapse due to wave scour and localised undercutting, see also V. Richards, M. Barret, I. Godfrey, E. Reed, The James Matthew Shipwreck Conservation and in-situ stabilisation, in The 9th ICOM-CC WOAM Conference Copenhagen 6thth June 2004, in press ; T. Winton, In situ containment of sediment for the Shipwreck Reburial Project, in The 9th ICOM-CC WOAM Conference Copenhagen 6th- th june 2004, in press.

46 barbara davidde The silicone was applied in layers onto pieces of linen fabric (50 x 70 cm).29 We do not as yet possess sucient data to assess the eectiveness of this type of protection over time. Using silicone for in situ protection of a wreck is without doubt very costly and it is therefore dicult to imagine it being put to use on a large scale. In the 990s, Spanish archaeologists constructed a silicone negative impression to be able to produce the mould of the Roman wreck at Grum de Sal near Ibiza in the Balearic Islands.30 Silicone moulds of statues and other stone artefacts discovered in the port of Alessandria (Egypt) were produced by French archaeologists.3 The fact, however, that it is easy to make silicone moulds underwater to produce copies is particularly interesting, as it opens up new horizons for the museum presentation of ships with wood structures.32 It would, in fact, be worth assessing the possibility of producing silicone moulds of certain sections of the ship, preferably choosing the more signicant parts, so that these can be displayed in museums or can be used for making scale models for didactic purposes and for the study of naval architecture.33 The original would remain protected underwater awaiting better days. Moreover, further examining the display criteria so as to avoid giving the impression of an amusement park, a copy could be left underwater to be inserted into a museum display itinerary. The underwater visitors would then gain a more precise idea of how the ship appears at the moment of its discovery and immediately after the archaeological excavation. The protection and conservation IN SITU of metal archaeological nds and of wrecks with metal structures Already in the late 980s, a method was devised for measuring the speed of corrosion and for preserving metal nds in situ, whether they be anchors, cannons, ships or aircraft. The method consists in transforming the sea-artefact complex in an electrolytic bath. In fact, connecting the metal object to be protected to a sacricial anode consisting of a weaker metal with respect to that of the object itself (generally, aluminium, zinc), it is possible to slow down the speed of metal corrosion to the detriment of the anode The chemist I.D. MacLeod successfully experimented this method on many wrecks, some of them with metal structures, which had sunk as a result of naval combat during the Second World War, others, from the 8th and 9th centuries with wooden hul29. C. Meucci, Le Bateau arabo normand de Marsala : la protection in situ, in Preventive Measures during excavation and site protection, Atti della conferenza, Roma, 986: 55- 58; C. Meucci, Relitti subacquei e conservazione. Dallo scavo al progetto di restauro, L. Masetti Bitelli (a cura di), Archeologia, recupero e conservazione, Firenze, 993, pp. 5 -73. 30. B. Martinez Diaz, E. Toledo Brasal, Models de Silicona para piezas de madera procedentes de barcos sumergidos, Patina, 6, 993, pp. 83- 89. 3 . J. C. Grang, Sulle tracce di Cleopatra, Archeo, 8, 998, pp. 55-58. 32. To know other examples on the use of silicone for recording archaeological ships features in a marine environment since 98 see L. C. Zambiano Valdivia, Moldeo subacutico de objectos arqueologicos, Boletn del Istituto Andaluz del Patrimonio Histrico , viii, 32, 2000, pp. 7582 and footnotes nn. 4, 5, 7. See also R. Petriaggi, Recupero, o quali altre scelte nel caso dei relitti antichi ?, in Forma Maris, Forum Internazionale di Archeologia subacquea, Napoli 200 , pp. 49- 52. 33. F. Pallares, 985. Relazione sulla VIII campagna archeologica sottomarina sul relitto del Golfo di Diano Marina (IM), Rivista di Studi Liguri, lI, 4, pp. 639-643: 643 wishes the realization of a mould of a section of the ship to start the naval architecture study and to make a scale model for the Diano Museum.

methods and strategies for the conservation 47 ls that, however, contained iron cannons and anchors, such as the wrecks from Duart Point the Swan 653 and the Dartmouth 690 (Scotland). Periodic controls conrm the ecacy of this method and the stabilization of the corrosion processes.34 Since 992, on visiting the wreck of the Swan, underwater enthusiasts visit the site with a map following the itinerary indicated by a cable. The most important surviving remains of the shipwreck are the cannons and anchors, both protected by sacricial anode systems and the ballast; the wood sections of the ship have been covered with sandbags as their state of conservation had been worsening signicantly since they had been left uncovered for a certain period of time. The protection systems adopted for metal objects and for the vessel itself, as well as other data relating to the objects, are indicated on oating plastic information cards connected by a cable to lead weights xed on the seabed. It is important to inform visitors and explain the reasons for adopting conservation and protection systems in situ. In this way, they will understand the importance of certain precautions and will not be disappointed when, as in the case of the Swan, parts of the wreck are not visible.35 For the wreck of the San Pedro that foundered on 3 July 733, thirty miles o Florida Keys (usa), which was designated an archaeological marine reserve in 989, the protection and museum display in situ was organized as follows: what remained of the wreck was covered with ballast; as regards the iron anchor, the above-mentioned method, using a zinc bar as a sacricial anode, was adopted. The colonizations of marine organisms, which have developed on the site, are being constantly monitored and studied by biologists from the University of Indiana.36 A similar project for the conservation in situ was also proposed for the wreck of the Hercules, which sunk in 66 in the port of Galle in Sri Lanka. Contemporary wrecks made of metal do not just represent important evidence of recent history, but have also proved to be signicant environmental resources, and should be valorized and safeguarded like ancient wrecks. Their presence, above all, in protected shing zones or in underwater nature reserves, contributes considerably in aiding marine repopulation, as their structures are transformed and function just like a barrier reef.
34. I. D. MacLeod, N. A. North. C. J. Beegle, The excavation, Analysis and conservation of shipwreck sites, in ICCROM Conference, Ghent 985, pp. 3- 32; I. D. MacLeod, Conservation of corroded iron artefact. New method for on-site preservation and cryogenic deconcreting, ijna 6. , 987:49-56; M. McCart, SS. Xantho : the pre-disturbance, assessment, excavation and management of an iron shipwreck off the Western Australia, ijna 7. 4, 998: 339-347; I. D. MacLeod, In situ conservation of cannon and anchors on shipwreck site, in Archaeological Conservation and its conseguences. Preprints of Contributors of the Copenhagen Congress, 26-30/08/ 996, Roy Ashok (ed. ), London, 996: - 5; D. Gregory, Monitoring the effects of sacricial anodes on the large iron artefacts on the Duar Point wreck, ijna 28.2, 999: 64- 73; D. Gregory, In situ corrosion studies on the submarine Resurgam : a preliminary assessment of her state of preservation, in Conservation and management of archaeological sites, 4. 2, James & James (Science Publishers Ltd.), 2000, pp. 93- 00; I. D. MacLeod, Aplicao das ciencias da corrosao na gestao de stios arqueolgicos martimas, Al-madan, ii. 0, 200 , pp. 48-58; I. D. MacLeod, In situ corrosion monitoring of the iron shipwreck of City of Lomnceston ( 865), in 3th Triennal Meeting ICOM Committee for Conservation, Rio de Janeiro 22-27/0 /02, 2002, pp. 87 -880. 35. Ph. Robertson, The visitors schemes on the historic shipwrecks of the Swan and HMS Dartmouth, Sound of Mull, Scotland (UK), in J. D. Spirek, D. A. Scott-Ireton (Ed.), Submerged Cultural Resource Management. Preserving and Interpreting our sunken Maritime Heritage, New York, 2003, pp. 7 -84. 36. D. A. Scott-Ireton, 2003. Floridas underwater archaeological Preserves, in J. D. Spirek, D. A. Scott-Ireton (Ed.), Submerged Cultural Resource Management. Preserving and Interpreting our sunken Maritime Heritage, New York, 2003, pp. 95- 05.

48

barbara davidde Conclusions

These, therefore, are the systems generally used for the protection in situ of wrecks and submerged sites. The majority of the latter, as we have seen, are not possible for the public to visit directly underwater. The public makes contact with them only in the museum, when, in the more fortunate cases, the cargo or wreck itself has been salvaged and restored or where, for example, in the case of an underwater prehistoric village, objects (pirogues, etc.) used in everyday life have been recovered. Much more numerous than one would believe are, instead, wrecks or submerged sites that can be visited underwater, where special precautions or protective measures are lacking, a factor that can create management problems and detract from their enjoyment.37 Among wrecks, those with metal structures are without doubt the most suitable to be exhibited in situ, providing a fascinating spectacle for the public. They do not run excessive risks in remaining exposed underwater above all when, following the method devised by MacLeod, it is possible to check and restrict the metal corrosion processes. These wrecks can also be subject to theft on the part of intruders; before opening the site to the public, it would be advisable to salvage easily removable or particularly rare archaeological objects. The same can be said for those wrecks that, though possessing wooden structures, had iron or bronze objects on board (cannons and other rearms, munitions, anchors, etc). A solution could be found in reburying the wreck and focusing the underwater itinerary on the archaeological objects. There are many examples of sites that have been treated in this way. In particular, I recall that of the Clbre that sunk with its many cannons in the 8th century at Louisbourg Harbour Nova Scotia (Canada), which can be visited by underwater visitors accompanied by authorized tour operators, or the wrecks in Red Bay where the Fathom Five National Marine Park (Canada) is situated. Here it is possible to visit twenty-seven ancient wrecks that sunk in various dierent periods, though mainly during the second half of the 9th century.38 Another category of wreck particularly suitable for visiting in situ is that of the naves lapidariae, with their cargo of carved or partially carved marble (columns, capitals, sarcophagi, blocks, etc.). Very often, if and when preserved, the wood structure of these ships has been severely damaged during the shipwreck as a result of its heavy cargo and it is therefore very rare to decide to recover all the cargo to study its structural characteristics. In some cases, it has been possible to study those parts of the vessel, which were not aected by the cargo and have been preserved, protected by the sand from the seabed. It is dicult for these wrecks to become prey to intruders, given the nature of their cargo; provisions for their surveillance can therefore also be less stringent.
37. Underwater itineraries can also be created in archaeological sites where a wreck is not necessarily present and there are, instead, sporadic archaeological objects. We can name, among the many examples, the underwater archaeological itinerary of the Natural Marine Reserve of the Cyclopean Islands (Catania), containing various lead anchor stocks of the Roman era, which are heavily incrusted to the rocks, or the underwater archaeological itineraries present in the Protected Marine Area of the Egadi Islands, etc. See for others examples in Italy B. Davidde, Underwater archaeological parks : a new perspective and a challenge for conservation. The Italian panorama, ijna, 3 . , 2002, pp. 83-88. 38. D. La Roche, 2003. A review of cultural resource management experiences in Canadas submergeg heritage, in J. D. Spirek, D. A. Scott-Ireton (Ed.), Submerged Cultural Resource Management. Preserving and Interpreting our sunken Maritime Heritage, New York, 2003, pp. 29-4 .

methods and strategies for the conservation 49 Sometimes, the legibility of marble nds can be aected by infesting biological organisms that often cover the object completely. Certainly, also in this condition, they still hold a strong fascination for the visitor, as is the case of ancient ruins on land when covered with infesting vegetation. One cannot, however, underestimate the harmful action of certain types of biodeteriogens (for example, lithodomous and lithophagous organisms) which, left to act undisturbed, can bring about the total loss of the items. For these categories of wreck, it is possible to use instruments and periodic cleaning methods, which have been successfully experimented by the ICR Archaeological Operations Unit on the sh tanks of Torre Astura and on the mosaic and masonry structures of the Villa a protiro in the Underwater Archaeological Park of Baia.39 Submerged architectonic sites are particularly suitable for adapting as museum sites in situ. The port of Caesarea Maritima in Israel, the submerged city of Baia in Italy, and the port of Ampurias in Spain 40 have all been transformed into underwater archaeological parks. Since 99 , Sebastos, the port of Caesarea Maritima, has become an underwater archaeological park with free access; a privately run diving club rents boats and organizes guided tours. The Park is supervised by the University of Haifa. There are four itineraries illustrated on plastic panels; three of these have an Ariadnes thread at the height of about metre from the ground, which guides the visitors during the visit.4 The submerged area of Baia has been an underwater archaeological park since June 2002. The city extends under the sea and contains numerous ancient well-preserved buildings that often not only have perfectly legible masonry structures but also decorated surfaces and architectonic motifs. The boundary of the park is indicated by buoys, and contains the architectonic ruins of Villa dei Pisoni as well as those of the architectural complex known as Villa a protiro. The park is managed by a consortium of private companies, under the supervision of the Superintendence for Archaeological Heritage for the provincial districts of Naples and Caserta. The two underwater archaeological itineraries are illustrated on a series of panels showing a plan of the ancient ruins. The visitor route is indicated by a cable about 80 cm to metre from the ground, attached to large cement dead-weight blocks.42 In the port of Ampurias, the great square-shaped stone blocks remain underwater and can also be visited by divers without oxygen tanks. To conclude, we must therefore remember that, in organizing an underwater historical and archaeological itinerary, the following essential points must be taken into consideration:
respect for the safety regulations for visitors and sta; protection of the archaeological heritage from biological, chemical and physical deterioration, as well as from vandalism and theft; the completeness of the scientic data.

The visitor itinerary can be indicated by a cable, which works like Ariadnes thread: a very simple system which, as we have seen, has been adopted successfully in many underwater itineraries. All the information pertaining to the history and natural ha39. See article by Petriaggi Mancinelli also in this publication: 09- 26. 40. See article by Petriaggi, Davidde in Acta Diurna, also in this publication: 98- 99. 4 . A. Raban, Archaeological Park for Divers at Sebastos and Other Submerged Remnants in Caesarea Maritima, ijna, 0. , 992: 27-35. 42. B. Davidde, Underwater archaeological parks : a new perspective and a challenge for conservation. The Italian panorama, ijna, 3 . , 2002, pp. 83-88: 85-86.

50 barbara davidde bitat of the site may be illustrated in a concise yet thorough manner, complete with plans and reconstructed images, on plastic panels positioned along the visitor route, or in the form of plasticized cards presented to visitors before immersion; smaller plastic cards can summarize the data relating to individual objects/sections. The more precious nds (cannons, anchors, etc.) that are at risk of theft, could be replaced by copies or, otherwise left underwater and possibly monitored more attentively with the help of closed circuit tv cameras or anti-intrusion systems with luminous or alarmed buoys.43 Finds of an organic nature, if not recovered, must be reburied; it may be worth considering the possibility of exhibiting copies. A programme of surveillance, monitoring of the state of conservation as well as cleaning and seasonal maintenance campaigns must be carried out periodically to improve the enjoyment factor of the site. If the water visibility permits and if the site is at not too great a depth, also the nondiving public may be able to visit the site in boats with transparent hulls. Futuristic projects that propose the construction of underwater tunnels to allow non-divers to visit submerged sites have also been devised.44 For wrecks that exceed 0 metres in depth, it might also be feasible to embark non-divers on board small bathyscaphs. The conservation and museum presentation in situ of underwater heritage must not just be considered an opportune choice but may in itself provide a strong stimulus for experimenting new materials and technologies as well as representing a factor in the socio-economic development of the communities concerned.45 Abstract
Often, in the Underwater Archaeological Parks the demand of visitors is different from the needs of Conservation. This is always true for the wooden wrecks. This lecture will try to explain the situations in which is possible to put together both exigencies. Key words: underwater archaeology, in situ conservation, Underwater Archaeological Parks.

43. See for example G. Lattanzi, Allarme elettronico per le palatte, Archeo, vii, 7( 0 ), luglio, 993: 79. 44. E. Mitchell, Il Lago di Mezzano : un esperimento di collaborazione fra Enti di tutela ed Enti locali per la salvaguardia e la valorizzazione di un sito archeologico sommerso, in I Siti archeologici. Un problema di musealizzazione allaperto. Atti del Primo seminario di studi sulla ricerca archeologica in Italia, Roma, 988; G. Di Stefano, Ipotesi di un parco archeologico subacqueo a Camarina, I Siti archeologici. Un problema di musealizzazione allaperto, in Atti del Secondo seminario di studi sulla ricerca archeologica in Italia, Roma, 994, pp. 248-254. 45. Finally, there are some experimental exhibitions with underwater nds in aquarium; the water is distilled, ltered and regularly changed; the temperature of the water and the light need to be checked to not create damages to the items. In

Italy there are two aquariums like that in the Archaeological Museum of the Territory of Populonia (Piombino); one contains some nds of the Pozzino wreck (small wood cylinders, amphoras and containers of pond), the second one contains the hoard of Rimigliano (around 3.500 silver coins of the iii sec. AD) see M. Mannini, Il progetto dellacquario, in A. De Laurenzi (ed.), Un tesoro dal mare. Il tesoretto di Rimigliano dal restauro al Museo, Pontedera, 2004: 96. See also T. Nilsson, C. Bjrdal, Project Aquarius : exploring the use of anoxic water for exhibiting or storing archaeological wooden artefacts, in Proceedings of the 8th ICOM Group on Wet Organic Archaeological Materials Conference, Stockholm, - 5 June 200 Bremerhaven, 2002: 23 233; C. Bjrdal, Project Aquarius : preservation, storage and exhibition of wrecks in an aquarium, in The 9th ICOM-CC WOAM Conference Copenhagen 6th- th june 2004 in press.

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