The conceptual evolution of underwater archaeology

Abstract

If we agree on 1950 to be the date from which a sunken ship begins to be considered a historical document, we will come to the conclusion that underwater archaeology is a scientific activity that has gone a short path and, at this initial phase, this discipline defined itself and has created both conceptual and technical standards. Three archaeologists, three excavations and three dates can be considered the milestones of the conceptual evolution that has taken us to the present situation where the epistemology of the discipline seems to have been established with an acceptable level of definition: Nino Lamboglia with his work on the Albenga site in 1950; George Bass in Yassi Ada from 1961 and André Tchernia with the excavation of La Madrague de Giens from 1972