CCHS | Underwater cultural heritage within everyone's reach

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.Our proposal of dissemination encompasses 3 complementary activities. 1. Exhibition with 11 explanatory panels that will show different underwater archaeological sites and their characteristics (Mortella II and III, 1527; Ribadeo I, 1597; Flota de Azogue, 1724) 2. Explanation of a Galleon Model 3. Explanation of teaching materials: a ship's structure, to understand all parts of a ships, historical documents, diving equipment, selection of materials for an underwater excavation in order to illustrate the archaeological work under the sea. An important part of our historical heritage is still submerged at the bottom of the oceans. Port structures, cities that were devoured by the waters, or sunken ships constitute archaeological evidence of great interest to understand the connection between oceans and human societies during millennia. Maritime and underwater archaeology is a scientific discipline with a methodology based on the recording, interpretation, protection and the dissemination of both submerged and connected coastal and intertidal zones heritage. Its difference with terrestrial archaeology lies in the environment, particularly in the underwater specialty, which involves the development of specific skills in diving, in registration techniques and underwater work, and in the establishment of special protocols for the conservation of artefact and structures. The wrecks (remains of shipwrecks and/or their contents) are "time capsules" that offer, in just a few square meters, signs of the material culture of the time, information on trade routes, the reconstruction of historical events and life on board, as well as important information on shipbuilding technology and navigation techniques. Our intention is to show in large-format photographic montages the objectives, the various tasks undertaken and the results achieved during archaeological fieldwork. Various international and interdisciplinary teams have worked togetherto contribute to the understanding and study of underwater historical heritage. These projects, reflected in the exhibition montage that we present, demonstrate the advantages and vicissitudes of cooperative and multidisciplinary work, as well as the operational chain of archaeologists, at sea and in the laboratory. Likewise, we want to show what is done with the findings and what their final destination is. In short, we intend to raise awareness among the general public, and especially the new generations, about the importance of safeguarding and protecting our historical-archaeological heritage related to the interaction between the ocean and human society. This exhibition is also connected to the CSIC's commitment to the OceanScienceChallengesFor 2030 (Madrid, CSIC, 2021). The exhibition focuses on FOUR underwater sites: TheRibadeo I (called San Giacomo di Galizia, Galicia) sunk in the Ria de Ribadeo in 1597; the wrecks of Mortella (Corsica, France), sunk in 1527, in the Bay of Saint-Florent; and the wrecks of the Quicksilver Fleet of 1724 (Flota de Azogue), sunk in the Bay of Samaná. Their choice is justified because they constitute exceptional examples for the study of shipbuilding of the time and because they present a high historical-archaeological value with a very fertile sites environment from the historical and heritage point of view. They are exponents of the added value of the archaeological studies of the Early Modern Age (16th to 18th centuries) and also examples of the diversity and variety of this heritage. The objectives of the exhibition: - To show the research activity of archaeologists and historians. - To understand archaeology from the perspective of cooperative and multidisciplinary work. - To understand the operational chain of archaeologists. - To know what is done with the findings and what their final destination is. - To Aware, especially among the youngest, about the importance of safeguarding and protecting our historical-archaeological heritage