Spain: Underwater Exploration on a Narrow Continental Shelf

Abstract

In spite of Spain's long coastline (nearly 8000 km) and its well-established tradition in underwater archaeology, the prehistoric settlement of the continental shelf is practically unknown with very few finds. Underwater research has focused on naval archaeology and, until very recently, no attempt had been made to look for prehistoric underwater sites. In the past decade, new research projects have been launched to explore selected areas on the Cantabrian shelf and offshore of Gibraltar. This chapter summarises the currently available evidence of submerged prehistoric archaeology and the preliminary results of these new projects.

Surveying and monitoring submerged archaeological sites in inland waters through a multiproxy strategy: The case of Dolmen de Guadalperal and other sites from Valdecañas reservoir (Spain)

“…The selection of methods should be based on the area to be cov- et al, 2014), the underwater archaeology of prehistoric sites has been carried out almost exclusively in coastal areas (Arias, 2020).…”

“…In summary, implementing a custom strategy for each environment should involve a multiproxy of documentation techniques used at times (drone‐based LiDAR, laser scanner, multibeam and SSS), along with broad‐scale documentation methods (photogrammetric restitution of historical flights, satellite imagery). Moreover, in the case of Spain, apart from some experiences (Cerrillo‐Cuenca, 2018; Cerrillo‐Cuenca & Sanjosé, 2013; Matamoros Coder et al, 2014), the underwater archaeology of prehistoric sites has been carried out almost exclusively in coastal areas (Arias, 2020).…”