The Archaeology of Freediving: A Foundational Study

Abstract

This study explores the presence of divers in the archaeological records of the Mediterranean basin. Direct evidence of diving is scarce, which has contributed to hiding their presence in the scholarship. Although references to divers have been preserved in the literary record, no attempts have been made to correlate these statements with the archaeological record. By applying a new theoretical framework that emphasizes ethnography and experimental archaeology, this study is able to link several misidentified artifacts to the work of divers, a first step towards a better understanding of the important role they played in the economy of their communities.