A Project for the Creation of an Underwater Archaeological Park at Apollonia, Libya
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doi:10.3723/ut.30.217 International Journal of the Society for Underwater Technology, Vol 30, No 4, pp 217–224, 2012 A project for the creation of an underwater archaeological park at Apollonia, Libya Claudia Pizzinato* and Carlo Beltrame Studio Archeotema, Cannaregio 233, Venezia, Italy Briefing Technical Abstract have been established and have worked efficiently, In 2008 and 2009 the Archeotema society (Venice, Italy) hotels and restaurants have sprung up. Also, a was contracted by the Libyan government to outline a number of small private business establishments project for the management of the underwater archaeologi- that deal with everyday and extraordinary mainte- cal sites of Libya as places for underwater tourism. The nance of the park, surveillance and guided tours project was part of a general remit of Evaluation and Con- have also come to those areas. In short, a new fron- servation of the Cultural Libyan Heritage. tier for organised tourism has been created. A selected site was Apollonia in Cyrenaica. The ancient In addition, there is the potential in such areas harbour with all its structures allowed for the visualisation of of setting up research projects in the field of a real park with an itinerary for divers and a glass-bottom maritime archaeology, marine biology and conser- boat for people to see from the surface. vation, thereby creating new professional opportu- nities. Ultimately, the main goals in the creation of Keywords: underwater, archaeology, Apollonia, park underwater archaeological parks should be to pre- serve both the natural and cultural resources of the 1. Introduction site and to attract visitors enjoying the cultural fea- tures of the site (Davidde, 2002). An ‘underwater archaeological park’ is a submerged archaeological area open to the public and acces- sible through prearranged itineraries. Such type 2. Examples of underwater archaeological of park can be visited by both divers and visitors parks and museums on-board glass-bottom boats. 2.1. Italy To become a public park, an underwater archae- 2.1.1. Baia ological area must first be investigated. In addi- The volcanic region of the Phlegraean Fields tion, it should not present any potential risk for extends to the west of Naples and overlooks the conservation in situ of monumental architectural waters of the Gulf of Pozzuoli. It is well known both remains or objects. Seaside ancient urban settle- for its numerous archaeological sites from the ments, villas, harbours, fisheries and other ancient Roman period and for the bradyseismic phenom- maritime infrastructure, now submerged as a result ena that have radically altered the original struc- of bradyseismic or eustatic events, can be enhanced ture of the coastline over the centuries. Ancient by the establishment of a park. Shipwrecks may be Baia was a bathing resort for Roman aristocracy opened to public access if their contents comprise but, because of bradyseism, began to sink into material that is not easily removable, such as marble the water around the 3rd c. AD. The ancient city, blocks and columns, iron cannons and concreted which is now almost submerged, was famous for its pottery. luxurious seaside villas, public offices, baths, shops An underwater archaeological park should be and coastal installations. especially useful for the protection and enhance- The zone of underwater Baia covers a 13 000m² ment of the archaeological heritage, as requested area of well-preserved ancient buildings where it is by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and still possible to see not only the wall structures, but Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Convention on also some beautiful decorations such as paintings, the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Herit- stuccos, mosaics and marble wall-cladding. The age (UNESCO, 2012). Furthermore, such a park whole park is divided into seven main underwater usually creates new employment in towns and cities sites, which are positioned at a depth ranging located close to the area. In fact, wherever parks between 3m and 24m under water. The local diving * Contact author. E-mail address: [email protected] club guides underwater tourists to the submerged 217 Pizzinato and Beltrame. A project for the creation of an underwater archaeological park at Apollonia, Libya city and they can read information about the dations that made this harbour one of the wonders ancient remains on descriptive panels fixed close to of the Roman Empire. the structures. However, some of the sites can also be visited simply by snorkelling. Visitors not able to 2.4. USA and Canada dive can admire the ancient underwater ruins from Across the United States and Canada, numerous a special boat with a transparent hull. underwater protection systems and parks have been established since the 1980s and are managed by 2.1.2. Ustica federal, state, local, private non-profit or local dive The natural marine reserve of the island of Ustica shop entities. Some of these protection systems in Sicily offers to visitors an underwater archaeo- involve complex circumstances, such as crossing logical itinerary in the area of Punta Gavazzi. The international boundaries, or involving multi-state itinerary ranges from a minimum depth of 10m to bottomlands, and are located on the bottomlands a maximum of 24m. Signs giving directions using of oceans, rivers or bays. Some systems include only different coloured lines underwater make it easy to one site, while others comprise dozens of shipwreck find all the archaeological remains. These include sites and geological features over vast areas. lead anchors, amphorae and other kinds of pottery. The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Special panels describe the function, date and prov- Administration (NOAA) also created three national enance of each find; general information on navi- marine sanctuaries that are dedicated specifically gation in antiquity; the different types of anchors to the preservation of historic shipwrecks in North and amphorae used and produced at that time; and American waters (Cohn and Dennis, 2011). maps of the itinerary and the rules with which visi- tors must comply. Photography is permitted and 2.5. Australia and Europe visitors can also see the remains on board a boat Since 1981 five shipwreck trail systems have with a transparent bottom. been established and two additional ones are cur- rently being established. Each trail system is admin- 2.2. Croatia istered by an individual state and, in most cases, Over 500 archaeological sites are located in the the state maritime museum or maritime heritage Croatian waters of the Adriatic Sea. The ancient unit oversees the trail system (Cohn and Dennis, shipwrecks are protected by a metal cage that is the 2011). less expensive and more secure way of preserving Other underwater parks and preserves exist in them. Divers who have obtained a Croatian National Portugal (Alves, 2006), Finland (National Board of dive licence can visit the sites, but they cannot touch Antiquities, 2012), Scotland (Robertson, 2003) and shipwrecks or their artefacts (Mesic, 2008). the Caribbean (Scott-Ireton, 2005). 2.3. Israel 2.6. Egypt 2.3.1. Cesarea The submerged royal quarters of Cleopatra, once Divers are able to tour the sign-posted remains of located on an island that sunk in the 4th c. AD, the magnificent harbour built by King Herod to were discovered in the 1990s within the eastern honour his Roman patron, Caesar Augustus. It was harbour of Alexandria. Scattered remains of the the largest and most impressive port during the Pharos of Alexandria lighthouse, one of the Seven Roman Empire and has been widely excavated over Wonders of the Ancient World, were also located three decades. There is no other ancient port in nearby surrounding the 15th c. AD Fort Qaitbey. the world that is accessible to ordinary divers. The Ministry of Culture of Egypt has partnered In fact, after only a half-hour’s instruction, divers with UNESCO to form an international scientific can dive with a guide to the ancient submerged committee that will assist in a feasibility study on harbour, where 36 points of interest are marked the establishment of a partial underwater museum along 4 trails in the sunken port, covering an area in Alexandria featuring these internationally impor- of 95 000m². They even receive a waterproof map tant sites in situ. A museum of this type involves that describes in detail each of the numbered sites considerable technical challenges with regard to along the way. architecture, but the bay itself is man-made and One trail is accessible to simple snorkelling. The only 5–6m deep. others, ranging from 2m to 9m below the surface and close to the beach, are appropriate for any 2.7. China inexperienced diver. In addition, divers can see The Baiheliang Underwater Museum was created ancient anchors, a ruined lighthouse, an ancient as a mediation project to protect China’s rare cul- breakwater and the remnants of the original foun- tural resources that were to become submerged as a 218 Vol 30, No 4, 2012 result of the construction of the Three Gorges Dam of Apollonia now lies about 2.5–3m underwater. on the Yangtze River. The site is an ancient ridge This phenomenon started perhaps in the Late with hydrological inscriptions that record the Antiquity (Flemming, 1971). As a consequence changes in the Yangtze River over the past 1200 the coast, where the city has been established, is years. In addition, stone carvings along the banks of now engaged by a phenomenon of erosion that the river are part of the exhibited sites. Construc- is destroying the ancient buildings and the archae- tion began in 2002 and the museum opened in ological deposits. 2010. The facilities allow visitors to view the inscrip- tions and carvings from within submerged tunnels that are 30m below the new water surface (Cohn 4.