Titan

About

Titan is the name of a wreck of a Roman merchant ship. The shipwreck took place in the middle of the first century BC east of the Levant Island — a fraction of the French commune of Hyères. Its name comes from the proximity of the island, which, from the 16th century, is also called Titan Island.

The wreck was invented in 1952 by Jacques Piroux while fishing for nargile. In 1954, it was decided to carry out the second underwater archaeological excavation on the French coast. It was conducted in 1957 in sixty-two days by Philippe Tailliez.

While the discipline is in its infancy, the campaign is prepared with a scientific approach still recognized in the 21st century. This frigate captain, commander of the Underwater Study and Research Group (GERS), formed his team with military sailors and among them divers using autonomous scaphandres. Logistics support, including an equipped base barge, is provided by the National Navy.

Thus, the ensemble, supervised ashore by the director of antiquities of Provence Fernand Benoit, is a military one. This campaign is particularly innovative with a sketch and a photographic cover of...