Investigating Processes of Wreck Formation: Shipwrecks on the Beach Environment in the Mediterranean and Adriatic Sea

The frequent presence of ancient shipwrecks along the seashores and in the intertidal zone of the Mediterranean and Adriatic seas can be attributed to very fast formation processes which buried them at the moment of the sinking conserving them in very good conditions although they lay in a very dynamic environment. This fast covering is proved also by the frequent presence in the sites of precious objects which were not recovered after the sinking. The uncovering of these sites can be caused by natural or cultural phenomenon, as a strong storm, the construction of a pier or the dredging of the sand close the sites, and impose their quick protection from looting and from natural degradation processes.