CLASSICS 1A03 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Uluburun Shipwreck, Nitrogen Narcosis, Maritime Archaeology
4 Oct 2016
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Document Summary
As you dive, you breathe in more nitrogen than you do in unpressurized air. Affects the brain and dulls the senses like alcohol. When a diver surfaces too quickly the change in air pressure can cause bubbles to form in the blood stream. Essentially the same approach as on land. Thorough survey and preparation, careful documentation and handling of material. Balloon floats (air bag) ang cages used to lift artifact from sea bed. Air lifts, like underwater vacuum cleaner, to pick up material from bottom. Underwater photography is essential and effective to document artifacts. Deposits in water creates different results than on land. Destruction by marine organisms- wood- boring animals- cause major issues. Exposure to sea currents erode away material. Burial in sediment or covered in algae are protective circumstances. Cold temperatures, low salt and oxygen levels are bad for organisms good for preserving materials. The uluburun shipwreck: bronze age merchant vessel.
