Abstract
This thesis aims at presenting in all four dimensions the Underwater Cultural Heritage (UCH) resources that have the potential for being drivers of sustainable growth in Methoni (Greece), and assessing the processes that affect these resources, their management or the environment, through the results of the ‘Evolved GE.N.ESIS Project’ and the interactive examination of acquired and integrated hydrographic, geophysical and geospatial data. To that end, the objectives of this thesis are (a) to document in 3D the local wreck ruins, the nearshore submerged prehistoric settlement, the ancient harbour and breakwater using hydrographic and geophysical methods, and assess the physical processes that impact the UCH assets and vice versa; (b) to present the benefits of 3D modelling, and 4D synthesis and correlation of marine geophysical data for analysis and visualisation of shipwreck ruins or artefacts, and for interpretation of the physical processes affecting the wreck sites; (c) to explore s ...
This thesis aims at presenting in all four dimensions the Underwater Cultural Heritage (UCH) resources that have the potential for being drivers of sustainable growth in Methoni (Greece), and assessing the processes that affect these resources, their management or the environment, through the results of the ‘Evolved GE.N.ESIS Project’ and the interactive examination of acquired and integrated hydrographic, geophysical and geospatial data. To that end, the objectives of this thesis are (a) to document in 3D the local wreck ruins, the nearshore submerged prehistoric settlement, the ancient harbour and breakwater using hydrographic and geophysical methods, and assess the physical processes that impact the UCH assets and vice versa; (b) to present the benefits of 3D modelling, and 4D synthesis and correlation of marine geophysical data for analysis and visualisation of shipwreck ruins or artefacts, and for interpretation of the physical processes affecting the wreck sites; (c) to explore shipwrecks and features of potential archaeological interest, not previously documented; (d) to provide a reliable, high resolution baseline bathymetric surface of the Methoni bay, to which past and future bathymetric surfaces can be compared to, for understanding and monitoring the local physical processes and erosion patterns; (e) to assess the short-term evolution of the local marine archaeological sites; and (f) to evaluate techniques and instrumentation for geoarchaeological project investigations, and suggest good practices for geophysical data process and UCH management towards local sustainable growth. Background information is given for understanding the physical environment where Methoni and the local archaeological sites lie and a historical review of the city is presented as well as the archaeological background of the area. Furthermore, the socio-economic background of the region is presented, its potential for economic growth and the way this thesis contributes to local sustainable growth. A detailed description on the survey design, the instrumentation and assets used for the project fieldwork, and on the data acquisition, process and management tactics is then reported, followed by the results from the investigation of six wreck sites, the submerged prehistoric settlement site, and the Methoni ancient harbour. Among the results of this thesis, the study of a number of wreck sites showcases how 3D synthesis of geophysical data supports the interpretation of underwater cultural resources and wreck site formation processes, as well as the assessment of a site’s archaeological potential. The study also presents good practices of bathymetric data rendering for realistic shipwreck representation and a proposed method of data post-process for fast and reliable detection of wrecks. Besides, it highlights the significance of temporal data fusion for interpretation of wreck site geomorphological evolution and showcases the limitations of geophysics for site investigation under certain conditions. The created 3D bathymetric model of the ancient harbour represents in detail the local maritime infrastructure and clarifies the significance of Methoni as a regional seaborne trade node, while the created 3D model of the ruins of the submerged prehistoric settlement highlights the potential extent and the physical condition of the settlement, as well as the interaction between the UCH resources and the physical processes. This thesis concludes that a blue growth model based on the promotion, exploitation and management of the local UCH resources and the establishment of an underwater archaeological park off Methoni should be implemented and that the role of hydrographic surveys and marine geophysical investigations is crucial for the promotion of UCH. Such a model should follow a management plan integrated into a wider coastal management plan and should be based on the principles of heritage preservation, public access and environmental protection. This thesis practically presents the power of hydrography and marine geophysics to highlight the UCH resources that have the potential for being drivers of sustainable growth in the context of such a model. Through the ‘Evolved GE.N.ESIS Project’, shipwrecks and features of potential archaeological interest were explored and a wreck of archaeological interest was discovered close to the shore. A large number of features of archaeological interest were also found and mapped while more are evidently lying under the seafloor. This thesis bridges the research gap on the benefits of 3D modelling and 4D synthesis and correlation of marine geophysical and geospatial data in a common framework, for analysis and visualisation of shipwreck ruins or artefacts, and for interpretation of the physical processes affecting the wreck sites and vice versa. The interactive correlation of fused data in a common 3D framework has been proved to provide reliable and fast detection of features of archaeological interest over and under the seafloor, 3D digital representation of the ruins of the shipwrecks along the Methoni nearshore zone, support on UCH feature evolution analysis and degradation monitoring. The interactive correlation of fused data also highlights the bad physical condition of the wrecks and the existence of valuable and vulnerable at the same time artefacts across the wreck sites, hence urgent measures for protecting the UCH assets should be taken. Wreck ruins have been found to exist far beyond the surficial wreck mounds and there is a specific case that the assessed dimensions of wreck-related material reveal the existence of a potentially large wrecked vessel for which further archaeological information is needed. The 3D bathymetric model of the ancient harbour and breakwater has been created representing in detail the current state of the local harbour infrastructure and clarifying the significance of Methoni as a regional seaborne trade node. The ruins of the submerged prehistoric settlement off Methoni have also been documented in 3D, its potential extend has been assessed including its buried part under the seafloor, while a site formation process has been suggested. Short-term spatio-temporal data synthesis over wreck sites has revealed distinct signatures of seafloor processes and provides knowledge on the wreck sites’ morphological evolution through time. Analysis of data, highlights sediment transport and current circulation processes, which are important for understanding the wrecks’ preservation potential, and their suitability as diving sites. Spatio-temporal data also highlight the degradation of underwater archaeological resources by scattering due to the wave and current action and their disturbance by intentional movement or decomposition due to human activities. The analysis of available data at a short temporal scale implies wreck site arrangements largely controlled by high-energy storm events and indicates complex coastal processes involving longshore, cross-shore sediment transport and local sediment redistribution. This thesis concludes that, the overall potential of exploitation of sites within the project area is high but is slowly declining due to scattering of the settlement and the wreck ruins material. Further results from research on long-term temporal scales need to be drawn, since the sedimentological interpretations are controlled by the temporal variability of data records and may exceedingly acknowledge or may not acknowledge at all storm-dominated processes. At a more technical context, techniques and instrumentation for geoarchaeological project investigations were evaluated and good practices for data process are proposed. Future work should focus on studying the sediment transport / redistribution processes, their time scales, the implications of future site vulnerability, and to produce high-resolution models of wreck sites formation. The availability of long-term temporal data will provide further conclusions on the UCH resources degradation, the local hydrodynamic regime, the sediment transport / redistribution processes across the project area, the beach rotation patterns, the shoreline evolution and the possible need for beach erosion protection works. The UCH resources off Methoni are a prominent and sensitive component of the local coastal system. They are vulnerable to the climate change and to the impact from human activities, and they interact with the physical processes. These interactions, long-term vulnerabilities, and socioeconomic impacts need to be documented and monitored in an interdisciplinary approach. Ultimately, this thesis demonstrates that the UCH resources off Methoni, as a whole asset, have a strong potential for driving socioeconomic growth, through the development of cultural and recreational maritime tourism. However, the proposed implementation of an underwater archaeological park needs to be conducted in the context of a site management plan acknowledging the interactions between the UCH, the human activities and the physical processes, for which long-term temporal data needs to be acquired and studied. Future repetitive interdisciplinary research in the area would give the complete picture of the UCH potential for driving socioeconomic growth in a sustainable way.
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