UNDERWATER ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS ALONG THE BULGARIAN CONTINENTAL SHELF (Lyudmil Vagalinski – lvagalin@techno-link.com, Kalin Dimitrov, Jonathan Adams) The Quaternary paleolandscapes on the shelf were explored and geological sediment samples were taken by drilling. The geophysical surveys covered an area of 150 sq. km and were carried out with remotely operated underwater vehicles. Seven new shipwrecks were discovered, situated at depths between 45 m and 104 m. All the fifteen shipwrecks discovered in 2015 and 2016, situated at depths between 45 m and 301 m, were documented with ROV Supporter. High resolution video, photo and photogrammetric shooting were performed. Twenty-three shipwrecks, registered in 2014, were identified at depths between 923 m and 1731 m. All the shipwrecks were wooden sailing, rowing-sailing or rowing boats. The remains were in good condition with preserved equipment; even the ropes were preserved on some of the ships in the anoxic zone of the Black Sea. The earliest ship lies at a depth of 92 m.; it is single-masted, 20 m long and 7 m wide. There were three iron Y-shaped anchors, parts of a mast and a long raft, probably Lateen rigged, lying on the deck. Judging from an amphora, the ship dated to the 10th – 11th century AD and probably was Byzantine. Of interest also was a two-masted ship lying at 1102 m depth, 18 m long and 6 m wide, Lateen rigged with two large sails and two side rudders. It dated to the beginning of the 14th century. This type of ship is known from images and played a significant role in the Mediterranean merchant shipping, but so far has not been discovered archaeologically. The ship was probably Italian. The rest 36 shipwrecks dated to the 17th – 19th centuries. Very well preserved were a ship with rich carved decoration lying at 301 m depth, a double-masted Western European type ship lying at 130 m depth, and a Western European type ship of the first half of the 19th century lying at 121 m depth.

UNDERWATER ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS ALONG THE BULGARIAN CONTINENTAL SHELF (Lyudmil Vagalinski – lvagalin@techno-link.com, Jonathan Adams, Kalin Dimitrov) Sixteen cores with a vibro-probe, each one with a maximum length of up to 6 m, and four cores with an 18-meter piston probe were taken. The geophysical surveys were performed with equipment mounted on Surveyor Interceptor ROV. The total scanned area was 142 sq. km. Twenty-three shipwrecks were explored in two zones: northern and southern. Eighteen new shipwrecks were identified and explored. Additional explorations of the ship (BSMAP_2016_Wreck_002) of the 10th century AD, discovered in 2016, were carried out. All the shipwrecks were examined by ROVs, which performed photo and video capture, photogrammetric imaging and 3D modeling, laser scanning, bathymetry and sampling for dating. Most ships were well preserved, including those lying at depths less than 150 m, which is above the level of the anoxic zone. The earliest shipwreck was Southstream_2014_Abs_add_BS_3509. It was a perfectly preserved hull about 18 m long, lying at a depth of 2021 m. The rudder, the control platform, the places of the oars, the mast located near the bow and the platform in front of it were visible. A similar ancient Greek ship was depicted on the Attic red-figure stamnos “The Vase with the Sirens” of 480 – 450 BC. The radiocarbon dating of the ship confirmed the date: end of the 5th or beginning of the 4th century BC. The shipwreck Southstream_2014_Abs_068 was a small double-edged single-masted ship of the 1st – 2nd century AD (radiocarbon dating: cal AD 30–130) about 12 m long and 3 m wide. The boards were fully preserved, the mast was in place, stern and bow platforms were visible. There were two tiller oars on the stern. The shipwreck BSMAP_ 2017_Wreck_008 was situated at 95 m in depth and was very well preserved. It was a large single-masted cargo sailing ship (23 m long and about 8 m wide) with a load of dozens of Anatolian amphorae lying on an open platform in the bow. In the right half of the stern was located the galley, which contained amphorae and other ceramic vessels. Judging from the amphorae and the radiocarbon dating (cal AD 140–335), the ship dated to the 3rd – 4th century AD. During the three years of the project, 61 shipwrecks were studied, most of them with very well preserved wooden hulls.