The Mazarrón II Wreck (Murcia, Spain). Management of human and natural threats

Abstract

The two Phoenician shipwrecks, Mazarrón I and Mazarrón II, discovered in 1988 and 1994 respectively, are highly significant remains of underwater archaeology. While Mazarrón I has been lifted and transferred to the ARQUA Museum in Cartagena, Mazarrón II has remained in situ, protected by a metal structure and meshes placed on the sediments. However, monitoring has shown that the structures are probably deteriorating as a result of human action. A project is planned to safely extract the wreck in order to display it in the ARQUA Museum in the future.

Keywords

• archaeology
• mediterranean
• phoenician era
• underwater ecosystem
• underwater sites
• shipwrecks
• museum conservation
• in situ conservation