About ProMare
ProMare is a non-profit organization established in 2001 to promote marine research and exploration throughout the world.
ProMare executes a variety of marine research projects independently and in concert with academic, corporate, public and governmental organizations and agencies. ProMare projects are designed to advance man's knowledge of history and science and to reinvigorate underwater exploration through fusion of popular media and scholarly research.
Check out Notes from the Field
Latest News |
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Black-glazed ceramic bowls, plates, and cups on the seafloor of Capraia. (Photo: Dante Bartoli) |
In the fall of 2008, ProMare was invited by Dr. Pamela Gambogi to assist in the exploration and study of a significant Hellenistic shipwreck from the second century BC, discovered off northwest Italian coast. The shipwreck is located near Capraia, the most distant island of the Tuscan Archipelago from the Italian mainland. Diagnostic artifacts from the site include black-glazed plates, cups, bowls, and amphora sherds. The finds are in an extraordinary state of preservation, possibly due to the fact that the site is covered by a thick layer of seagrass, Posidonia Oceanica. It is possible the main portion of the cargo is hidden under the roots of the 2-m high sea grass that covers almost completely the surrounding area. Further exploration and test excavation of the shipwreck is scheduled for the spring of 2009. |
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One of the 10 dolia from the shipwreck |
In September 2008, ProMare co-sponsored and participated in the first excavation attempt of an ancient shipwreck lying 65 m deep, a depth at which traditional archaeological excavation techniques by divers border on impractical. Study of this site will improve our knowledge of maritime trade in the Western Mediterranean in Roman times, foster the development of new techniques in deep water archaeology, and provide training for the project’s cadre of commercial and technical divers. In ten days invaluable experience was garnered, both regarding the site, and the unparalleled challenges of doing archaeological work in deep water. |