An Overview of the Underwater Archaeological Evidence for the Maritime Transport of Sculptures in the Ancient Mediterranean

Abstract

This paper presents the results of new research on underwater archaeological evidence for the maritime transport of sculptures in the ancient Mediterranean. Through the creation of a Mediterranean-wide database and with a focus on information from surviving archaeological deposits, this study explores ancient Greek and Roman sculptures from under water as a dataset of transported artefacts that had a specific function within the maritime context of their discovery. This documentation, analysis and interpretation of underwater deposits with sculptures provide previously unexplored data regarding the geographical extent, date, reasons and circumstances of maritime movement of sculptural artefacts during Antiquity.