Archaeologists tend to be stereotyped as people who work on land, digging upancient ruins that lie below the surface of the earth. However, in recent decades, an exciting new form of archaeology hastaken shape. This new practice is called underwater archaeology. Put simply,instead of looking under the ground for ancient artifacts, archaeologists dive deep into the ocean to conduct their searches. Underwater archaeology, although not without logisticaldifficulties, has been responsible for a number of high-profile findings in recent years.
The development of underwater archaeology owesmuch toconcurrenttechnological progress. First and foremost,it was the invention of self-containedunderwater breathingapparatuses, or scubafor short, that initially made this practice possible. Subsequently, more advanced technologies—such as light detection and ranging(or lidar) and submersibles, which are remotely controlled roboticvehicles that can travel underwater— have rendered underwater archaeology more straightforward by making ocean environments more accessible and easier to observe.
However, practical challenges still remain. For example, the archaeologists involved need to be skilled divers who can maneuver themselves underwater while properly handling any delicate discoveries. In addition, the success of a search reliesheavily ongood weather and water conditions.
Nevertheless, underwater archaeology has led to some truly fascinating discoveries despite the limitations. In 1994, a group of archaeologists from France working in Egypt found the remainsof the Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, during a search in the modern city of Alexandria’s Eastern Harbor. With such discoveries, it is clear why many of the world’s archaeologists are now looking to deep watersto uncover the hidden treasures that lie beneath.
