Site Formation Processes of the Antikythera Shipwreck Site: A Geoarchaeological Approach

This study presents natural and anthropogenic processes that have affected the Antikythera shipwreck site (Greece), dated to the 1st century BCE. The research combines archival work with new archaeological data and micro-geoarchaeological analyses, including Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Archaeological excavations indicate the presence of more than one contemporary shipwreck with similar cargoes resting over clearly defined areas on the seabed. Landslides triggered by storms and tectonic events partially covered the site, along with a growing aragonite crust. We identified a lithification process driven by the transformation of aragonite into calcite, possibly induced by sediment compaction during seismic activity, groundwater, and bacterial activity. The reconstruction of these formation processes helps to identify unexcavated archaeological areas and provides contextual information for finds recovered in past excavations (1900, 1976). A holistic view of site formation processes from shipbuilding to excavation is presented, expanding geoarchaeological applications for the study of shipwrecks.