BYZANTINE SHIPWRECK NEAR BALACLAVA: EXPERIENCE DEEP-WATER RESEARCH IN THE BLACK SEA
The shipwreck at the entrance to Balaklava Bay was found 3,8 km from the coast, at a depth of 85.6 m. Fragments of ship structures and accumulation of amphorae were preserved at the wreck site. In 2018, underwater and archaeological studies of this monument, due to the large depth of its occurrence, were carried out using a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV). With the help of an “underwater robot”, an object was inspected under water, measurements were taken, a photo and video fixation was made, a general photogrammetric plan of the shipwreck and its 3D model were drawn up. For the analysis and dating of the object, samples of ceramics and wood were raised to the surface, which allowed dating the ship of the 11th century A.D. The finds of shipwrecks of the Byzantine period in the waters of the Heraclean Peninsula, even at great depths, are few. Only two were discovered and investigated - Chersonesus-A (10th-11th centuries A.D.) and Foros Byzantine (13th century A.D.). Among shipwrecks of the same period, the ship of the 11th century is also known, found in the Mediterranean Sea, in the Cerce Limani Gulf as well as in the waters of the Syrian city of Tartus. In the course of underwater archaeological research in the water area of Balaklava, 1200 meters from the shipwreck Balaclava-1, at a depth of 86 m, another ship was discovered that received the code name Balaclava-2. Wooden elements of the ship's hull and fragments of its masting (mast 50 cm in diameter) are preserved in the silt ground. Wood samples raised to clarify the dating of this object, as shown by the analysis, refer to the 11th-12th centuries A.D. They were made of oak and contain traces of burning. This suggests that the likely cause of death of the ship was a fire. Discovered at the entrance to the Balaklava Bay, the ancient ships contain important evidence of the time of their existence and are unique shipbuilding monuments of the Middle Ages. In the course of research on shipwrecks data, a set of documents was prepared for inclusion in the list of protected historical and cultural sites.