underwater archaeology
Shipwrecks always attracted the man, at first for the wealth that can be in them, or for military or historical interest. The history of the researches in shipwrecks is almost as old as the history of the own shipwrecks. It is the case of the Phoenician, Greek and Roman merchant ships that, when the position of the wreck was known, received the visit of divers, ancestral of our actual skin divers, that tried to recover the lost shipment. The same happened when a galleon sank and soon rescue operation were sent to recover the load of precious metals and cannons (that would be used to protect another boat, maybe more fortunate). More recently the man went down in diving bells that began, soon after, to receive air from the surface.
All the naval evolution was accompanied by a technological evolution for the rescue of cargo (and treasures).
That culminated, today, with a big development in the location and recovery equipments.
In parallel, appeared the need of conserving the objects, that just after they have been recovered of the salt water,
begin to decompose in contact with the air.
In more recent times, a historical mentality appeared with the creation of the "Underwater Archeology",
that transported some of the techniques of the terrestrial archeological research for under the waters.
And already produced many works: the Wasa (Stockholm Gulf - 1959); the shipwreck in
Yassi Ada, in Turkey, where were experienced the first modern methods of recovery;
Port Royal, the city that partially sank due to an earthquake and tsunami in 1692;
and many other, culminating with works like in the Mary Rose, in the
ship of Spargi, in the Project Belle or in the one of the Hunley.
IN BRAZIL
In Brazil the orderly research of shipwrecks just crawls, it is not null thanks to some works, accomplished by the Navy,
through the Capitanias do Portos, in the exploration of sites as the one of the
Galeão Sacramento, in Rio Vermelho (Bahia);
of the Galeão São Paulo, sunk in 1652 in front of the Cape of Sto. Agostinho (Pernambuco)
and of the Battleship Aquidabã in Jacuacanga (in Rio de Janeiro).
Even if the methodology used in the above works can be discussed now, they were the starting point of our Underwater Archeology.
A lot of times we see in the media, people or groups that affirm be doing "Archeology" but, in reality,
they are just depredating shipwrecks without any methodology. The most common situation is the one of the recovery of objects done in an illegal way, accomplished by amateurs or professionals.
Many objetcs from our shipwrecks were found in antiquarians, or auctions, in all the World.
We can mention some cases, of the few that were known, of accomplished rescues:
* A great amount of Chinese porcelain from the
NOSSA SENHORA DO ROSÁRIO E SANTO ANDRÉ, in Salvador;
* Bronze cannons of the GALEÃO SÃO PAULO, in Pernambuco;
* Jewels and silverware from the PRINCIE DE ASTÚRIAS, in Ilhabela (São Paulo);
* Silverware of the Royal Mail ship DART, also in Ilhabela;
* Porcelain and coins of the GALEÃO SANTISSIMO SACRAMENTO, in Salvador;
* Stoneware of the ALFAMA DE LISBOA and porcelain from the COPERNICUS, in Pernambuco;
* Gold coins from the UTRECHT.
Those informations are of public knowledge and represent a tiny portion of that was recovered of hundreds of wrecks in the Brazilian coast.
This very poor tradition it is now being altered with the formation, especially in the University of São Paulo, of underwater archeologists, of which soon we will publish some works.
