Deep discoveries from the seabed of the Pontine Islands: the shipwrecks of Ventotene, Santo Stefano and Zannone

Since 2008 the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage of Lazio (on behalf of the Ministry of Culture) has cooperated with AURORA Trust, an international not-for-profit organisation, in the field of underwater archaeology, to carry out an extensive survey of the seabed surrounding the islands of Ventotene, Santo Stefano and Zannone, out to the 150m contour, in order to create an archaeological map of the seabed of the Pontine Islands. Research was conducted using a Klein System 3900 side scan sonar, Klein 3310 sub bottom profiler, and Seaeye Falcon ROV. After three seasons, nine ancient shipwrecks were found, dating back to different phases of the Roman period.
All wrecks were well preserved with cargoes of amphorae found still stacked in their original position. The study of these nine wrecks and their cargo is currently on-going. Further, the Superintendence is planning to install cameras on the sites to allow for simultaneous monitoring and accessibility.
These important discoveries shed light on many current problems and future considerations for underwater archaeology. Chief among these issues are preservation in situ and accessibility, as highlighted by the UNESCO Convention of 2001. Due to the evolution of technologies available for surveys, deeper sites represent a convenient new frontier for maritime archaeology. Deep water sites are in fact quite often well preserved, scarcely affected by waves or looters. These nine shipwrecks potentially represent a useful and challenging test for the ability of sites to preserve in situ whilst ensuring a full understanding of their context and import.