Underwater Archaeology

Interest in underwater archaeology, a previously limited discipline is growing with the development of new technology. In modern archaeological history, it was the last field of the discipline to gain respect in academia. However, the history of underwater archaeology goes back far into the earth's past, beginning with the mid-fifteenth century.

Cardinal Colonna was a collector of ancient Greek and Roman art. He heard that in Lake Nemi, there were two Roman ships sitting on the bottom which were rumored to contain great wealth and art. He commissioned the architect, Leon Battista Alberti to look for the vessels. He hired 1,446 swimmers to search for the ships underwater and at last they were found about 10 fathoms down (Stiebing 282). Alberti attempted to float one of the ships, but failed miserably when only a few planks and a torso of a Roman statue were raised.

Many attempts were made during this time to find more effective ways of searching for the underwater artifacts. In 1535 Francesco Pemarchi invented the world's first primitive diving suit. He descended into Lake Nemi and measured the ships. By 1827, a diving bell had been invented which held eight people at one time. This bell was able to recover wood fragments, nails, mosaics, columns and marble from one of the ships.

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