Advances in Digital Technologies for Maritime Archaeology

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue meant to offer a timely platform to share methodological know-how, present case studies and collectively discuss the significant challenges and opportunities in the latest digital advances across a broad spectrum of thematic areas in maritime and coastal heritage research.

This Special Issue aims to reveal untold stories about underwater archaeology and maritime cultural heritage, fostering a deeper, more accessible appreciation of our maritime past through advancements in digital approaches and methodologies. In recent decades, digital technologies have proven to be an indispensable force, fundamental to reshaping our understanding of the intricate interaction between human societies and the marine environment.

The field of maritime archaeology, inherently technology-driven, has experienced a transformative shift since the turn of the century. This is driven by the ubiquitous integration of advanced digital methods and sophisticated remote sensing techniques. The inherent difficulties of the underwater environment—such as low visibility, challenging currents and depth—have consistently necessitated the adoption of cutting-edge innovations. This accelerated technological dynamism has enabled practitioners to compensate for environmental constraints, vastly improving the efficiency and quality of documentation and research.

The integration and dialogue between different advanced digital tools is crucial for the research, not only for the greater possibility of data acquisition but also for their manipulation and interpretation. Technologies such as remote sensing, high-resolution photogrammetry and laser scanning provide the foundation for acquiring precise metric documentation and highly detailed data. The synergistic application of these survey methods with digital processing instruments—notably Geographic Information Systems and three-dimensional modelling—is vital. This integration enhances the ability to analyse, interpret and produce accurate digital and virtual twins of archaeological sites. Furthermore, these methodologies are now crucial for understanding, analysing and proactively monitoring the state of conservation of fragile Underwater and Maritime Cultural Heritage.

This interdisciplinary wave of research has significantly expanded the scope of the discipline. Beyond traditional underwater and coastal archaeology, the field now comprehensively encompasses themes such as ancient seafaring, submerged ancient landscapes and broader maritime and nautical heritage, integrating the archaeology of the coast and its hinterlands.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

• image and remote sensing in the detection and survey of underwater archaeological sites
• digital technologies for documenting and  monitoring of underwater archaeological sites and maritime heritage
• 3d modelling for analysing and studying underwater archaeological sites and maritime heritage
• digital instruments and GIS to archive and manage data concerning maritime heritage 

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Elisa Costa
Dr. Carlotta Lucarini
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Heritage is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.