MARITIME ARCHAEOLOGY FIELD SCHOOL > Maritime archaeology

For the Cap de Cavalleria Ecomuseum the Maritime Heritage of the island of Menorca is undoubtedly of great importance, but unfortunately it is gradually getting lost. Our duty is that of documenting, safeguarding and spreading it, as well as finding out the way to preserve it so that future generations can admire it with all the respect it deserves.

Throughout the last decade, with our experience in carrying out underwater archaeological research in the port of Sanitja and the area surrounding Cavallería Cape, we have been discovering the remains of timber structures which belong to Roman shipwrecks as well as to modern vessels built from the beginning of the 1800s until recent times. All these remains are worthy of being studied. Students have to learn basic concepts on Mediterranean shipbuilding, since underwater archaeologists have to be able to identify submerged structures from shipwrecks when either surveying or excavating. Also, underwater archaeologists have to record those structures properly so that they can give a good interpretation by means of using technical terms.

Apart from the remains that are located on Sanitja's seabed, in Menorca there is a museum/store similar to a cemetery for vessels dating from the last couple of centuries. The vessels which are stored there should be studied for two reasons. The first, and most important one, is trying to avoid old boats to become damage, since they represent unique examples of traditional shipbuilding. In order to do that, the participation of technicians and experts on this field is very important, since they make use of proper methodologies and conservation skills. The second reason deals with studying traditional vessels' design so that parallels can be established between them and boats from other coastal regions in the Mediterranean Sea.