An extensive carpet 20 meters long, just 5 meters less than the actual size of the Puente Mayorga II wreck, surprised the more than 1,500 participants of the Blue Zone Forum-Innovazul who met from November 20 to 22 in Cádiz. By putting on virtual reality glasses, international specialists from very diverse fields, united by their interest in the potential that the oceans offer for innovation and growth, immersed themselves for a few moments in the waters near the coast of San Roque. There lies at a shallow depth this 17th century ship that virtual divers could explore as if they were flapping next to its remains. The experience, so clear, was later reflected in the faces of those who approached the second floor of the Cádiz Congress Palace, where they could also learn about the video game Creamare being developed at the University of Cádiz to publicize the rich submerged cultural heritage. of the Mediterranean.
Both initiatives reflect the push that scientific research wants to give to the dissemination of the formidable cultural legacy that the oceans house. “You don’t protect what you don’t know,” was repeated on several occasions in the round table that brought together the director of the National Museum of Underwater Archeology (Arqua), Rafael Sabiowith Javier Noriegapresident of the Maritime Cluster of Andalusia and founder of Nerea Arqueología; Carlota Pérez-RevertePhD from the University of Cádiz with a thesis on underwater archeology and social participation; and David Fernandez Abellamanager of the archeology company Argos. Michele Stefanilemaritime archaeologist and researcher at the University of Naples, told from Italy how the Submerged Archaeological Park of the ancient Roman city of Baia has economically revitalized the town through tourism linked to heritage. “Opening it to the public has been a success,” he assured, urging us to overcome the logical fears of possible looting.
In the Innovazul forum, promoted by the Cádiz Free Zone, the University of Cádiz, Incubazul, the Ceimar foundation, the Cádiz City Council and Telefónica, the treatments underway to preserve the two wrecks that this year have been taken from the sea on the Spanish coasts. In the session dedicated to the challenges in research and conservation of blue heritage, the director of Arqua explained the steps that will be followed with the remains of Mazarrón 2, a Phoenician wreck recovered in the Region of Murcia, as well as the different initiatives undertaken from the museum.
Milagros Alzaga, head of the Underwater Archeology Center of the Andalusian Institute of Historical Heritage, showed the work being carried out on the Delta 1, the 17th century boat extracted in June in the port of Cádiz, and detailed other projects carried out in wrecks such as the San Pedro de Alcántara and initiatives, such as the so-called Vestigium, to disseminate knowledge of submerged heritage.
At the meeting, the gaze was raised to the international level, with the intervention of Athena Trakadas, curator of the Viking Ship Museum of Denmark and expert consultant of the Convention on the Protection of the Submerged Cultural Heritage of 2001 of UNESCO, who highlighted the role that It plays the same role in the global blue economy strategies in the UN decade of the oceans.
The professor at the University of Cádiz and coordinator of the only Master’s Degree in Nautical and Underwater Archeology in Spain and Latin America, Felipe Cerezo, highlighted the importance of educating and training young researchers and “interpreters” of submerged cultural heritage in the blue future, a link necessary to unite science with society.
If, as the promoters of Innovazul point out, “today the seas are the future, the great opportunity for the sustainability of the planet”, the historical and cultural wealth that lies in them is intrinsically linked to them.
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