IN SITU PRESERVATION OF A DEEP-SEA WRECK SITE : SINOP D IN THE BLACK SEA

Abstract

The deep seabed of the Black Sea is a major untapped archaeological resource. Its overlying anoxic waters preserve in some form most, if not all the perishable deposits left during its long history of maritime use. In 2007, using advanced robotic technology, researchers from the Center for Ocean Exploration and Archaeological Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island began a multi-year site assessment of Sinop D, a fifth century ad wreck site located at a depth of 325 meters off the north central coast of Turkey. Site characterization, the first step toward IN SITU preservation, was implemented with the use of remotely operated vehicles. The design of two types of decay-rate tests containing proxy artifact samples is described. These were deployed in 2007 as multi-sample units and will be retrieved and analyzed in future years to predict the types of perishables that future researchers may expect to encounter in the deep Black Sea and the condition in which they may be expected to survive.