Extrapolation of individual artefact data from in-situ deep-sea archaeological remains: quantitative analysis of a submerged artefact assemblage in the Black Sea

The remains of a recently discovered Late Roman trading vessel in the Black Sea, designated as ‘BSMAP_2017_WRECK_008’ or ‘Sinemorets A’, has offered an opportunity to implement new digital approaches to in-situ artefact analysis in a deep-sea setting, through the extrapolation of data from high-resolution multi-source photogrammetry modelling. Original data was retrieved using state-of-the-art WROV systems by the Black Sea Maritime Archaeology Project (BSMAP) in 2017. Recent analysis undertaken as part of Masters degree research at the University of Southampton, has remotely studied the remains of individual ceramic artifacts found within the wrecks assemblage; undertaking quantitative analysis of the 81 ceramic vessels associated with a decked structure in the fore of the wreck in a digital investigation into the ‘lost cargo’ of this Late Roman trading vessel. This paper reviews the employment of computational artefact analysis and the implementation of digital humanities techniques in the investigation of ‘Sinemorets A’ wreck, that draws it into a wider narrative of trade and connection between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean in Late Antiquity. This paper invites wider discussion on the implementation of digital analysis and the research opportunities created for remote investigation of deep-sea shipwrecks and further explores the significance of computational archaeological study in the assessment and analysis of submerged archaeological sites as new standards for deep-water investigation develop.