Acknowledgements
The directors of ROMACONS are indebted to many people and institutions for their support and assistance in helping this project become a reality. Drs Luigi Cassar and Enrico Borgarello have encouraged and aided our research in so many ways since its outset. We are also deeply grateful to their colleagues, Mr Dario Belotti, Mr Isabella Mazza, and Mr Massimo Borsa, for providing invaluable logistical support and to Dr L. Bottalico, Dr R. Cucitore, Dr E. Gotti and Dr E. Vola for their scientific expertise. We especially thank Professor Michal Artzy and her colleagues at the Recanati Institute for Maritime Studies of the University of Haifa. Without their backing this project would not have been possible. We thank John Tresman, Mosheko Bachar and Omri Ben‐Eliyahu for their assistance in the field and particularly Greg Votruba for his skills as an underwater photographer.