History Frozen in Time

The last great frontier on earth is the deep ocean and it is also the last great archeological frontier. Advances in modern technology are rapidly opening up the secrets of the deep including the location of long lost shipwrecks that litter the depths of the world's oceans. Recent developments in submersible design and technology as well as enhanced electronics and new search techniques mean that there are basically no places left on the earth's ocean floors that are too deep for human exploration.

Since the dawn of western history, the Mediterranean has been a maritime highway for exploration, commerce and conquest. Historians estimate that between 10 and 15 percent of all ships that sailed in ancient times never reached their destination. The ships, their crews and cargoes thus became 'history frozen in time', sealed away in their watery depths. Meanwhile on land many artifacts of man's history have been lost due to wars, natural catastrophes and plain greed.

Those safely on the seafloor had remained untouched. While it is true that chemical and biological processes cause severe deterioration in wood and other natural products, many materials such as certain metals, stone and ceramics are able, to some extent, to withstand these processes, often leaving them as the sole or main "survivors" of ancient ship wrecks.

In the area of the Mediterranean Sea, the highest probabilities of finding ancient shipwrecks would be near the ancient harbours. One of these in the Western Mediterranean is Marseilles, the ancient Massilia from Greek times. Founded in 600BC, this is a city that is over 2,500 years old where the offshore is rich with ancient shipwrecks. The situation is similar off the old port of Toulon just a few miles to the east of Marseilles. Numerous underwater operations in these areas with divers, manned submersibles and survey ships have already located many shipwrecks in that region.

Many of the wreck sites along the French coast date from the Roman era (3rd century B.C. - 4th century A.D.) as there were very well developed trade routes with Rome during that period. From the earliest days of their Empire, the Romans realised the importance of a large permanent fleet to protect their sea lanes and to also transport the supplies on which Rome depended - for Rome relied on the importation from afar of food, construction materials and luxury goods.

While exploration of these ancient shipwrecks has been formerly restricted to scientists and a few wealthy explorers, Deep Ocean Expeditions is now opening up this opportunity to any participant who elects to join their "Exploring Ancient Shipwrecks" submersible expedition.