Archaeological diving is a type of scientific diving used as a method of survey and excavation in underwater archaeology. The first known use of the method comes from 1446, when Leon Battista Alberti explored and attempted to lift the ships of Emperor Caligula in Lake Nemi, Italy.[1] Just a few decades later, in 1535, the same site saw the first use of a sophisticated breathing apparatus for archaeological purposes, when Guglielmo de Lorena and Frances de Marchi used an early diving bell to explore and retrieve material from the lake, although they decided to keep the blueprint of the exact mechanism secret.[1] The following three centuries saw the gradual extension of diving time through the use of bells and submersing barrels filled with air. In the 19th century, the standard copper helmet diving gear was developed, allowing divers to stay underwater for extended periods through a constant air supply pumped down from the surface through a hose. Nevertheless, the widespread utilisation of diving gear for archaeological purposes had to wait until the 20th century, when archaeologists began to appreciate the wealth of material that could be found under the water. This century also saw further advances in technology, most important being the invention of the aqualung by Émile Gagnan and Jacques-Yves Cousteau, the latter of whom would go on to use the technology for underwater excavation by 1948.[2] Modern archaeologists use two kinds of equipment to provide breathing gas underwater: self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA), which allows for greater mobility but limits the time the diver can spend in the water, and Surface-supplied diving equipment (SSDE or SSBA), which is safer but more expensive, and can only be used in shallower waters.[clarification needed][dubious – discuss][3]
^ abEliav, Joseph (2015-01-01). "Guglielmo's Secret: The Enigma of the First Diving Bell Used in Underwater Archaeology". The International Journal for the History of Engineering & Technology. 85 (1): 60–69. doi:10.1179/1758120614Z.00000000060. ISSN 1758-1206. S2CID 111073448.
^Feulner, Mark A.; Arnold, J. Barto (2005). Maritime Archaeology. AltaMira Press. pp. 271–279. ISBN 978-0-7591-0078-7.
^Benjamin, J. and MacKintosh, R. (2016) ‘Regulating Scientific Diving and Underwater Archaeology: legal and historical considerations: REGULATING SCIENTIFIC DIVING AND UNDERWATER ARCHAEOLOGY’, International Journal of Nautical Archaeology, 45(1), pp. 153–169. Available at doi:10.1111/1095-9270.12141.
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