Robot archaeologist and the discovery of a wreck from over 2000 years ago - video

In Italy’s Mediterranean waters, underwater archaeologists have made a stunning discovery! Using a remote-controlled ROV, the Azione Mare research team found and examined the beautifully preserved remains of an ancient shipwreck from Roman times.

This magnificent discovery would not have been possible without the proper use of technological advances. The wreck described is in fact located at a depth of 640 metres, between the Apennine Peninsula and Corsica, near the island of Pianosa, and is completely out of reach of divers.

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During the inspection carried out with the use of the Multipluto-2 robot, it was established, among other things, that the cargo of the found vessel consisted of amphorae, marble and bricks. According to archaeologists, the examined wreck and its contents should be dated most probably to the 1st or 2nd century BC.

For the robot-archaeologist, as the Italian media christened it, this is not the first such find. It has already been used in Sicily to carefully examine two Roman wrecks located on the seabed near Catania. However, at that time the depth did not exceed 55 metres.

In the summer of 2019, in turn, Multipluto-2 was used to perform photogrammetry on another Roman-era wreck, dating to the 1st century BC. This time the work was carried out at a depth of 280 metres near the island of Gorgona, 34 km off the coast of Tuscany.

The exploration and research work was made possible through the collaboration of the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Ca ‘Foscari in Venzia and the private foundation Actionmare, headed by Guido Gay, its titular engineer.