ARCHAEOLOGICAL UNDERWATER SURVEYS ON THE SHORES OF MERSIN

The archaeological underwater surveys on the shores of Mersin are being conducted since 2015.

The surveys involved the use of traditional underwater surveys methods, in addition to sonar scanning, various applications of ROV and aerial photography with marine drone, which revealed 65 ancient shipwrecks and a large number of various archaeological remains. Masks, fins, and snorkels were used for snorkeling in shallow waters such as capes, rocky shores and harbor areas as marked on the map below, and scuba diving was conducted in deep waters. Possible locations where boats can capsize, and natural and human-made harbors were surveyed. These methods were used either along with pulling the diver by a motorboat, or with underwater scooters, and thus large areas could be scanned where shipwrecks or artefacts could be contained. Additionally underwater survey methods using electronic equipments were applied, including scanning large areas by side-scan sonar, Multi Beam Sonar and Sub Bottom Profiler; recording the images obtained with relevant GPS coordinates, and scanning the bottom of the sea with ROV survey and magnetometer if required by sonar imaging, and where the depth doesn’t facilitate diving. This work was performed in areas named below and various shipwrecks, harbor structure ruins, anchors and other archaeological findings were identified. Those findings prove the presence of a significant maritime perspective in mountainous, and lowlying Cilician shores, ranging from the Bronze Age to the Ottoman Period.