The contribution of drones
to underwater archaeology

In France, it is the Department of Underwater and Underwater Archaeological Research (DRASSM), a service under the Ministry of Culture, which coordinates the different underwater archaeology missions. From its marine base in Marseille, the DRASSM supervises all operations carried out within the French maritime domain.

For a few years, underwater drones, or remotely operated vehicles (ROV), have been transforming underwater archaeology. While human dives are constrained by depth, bottom time or the conditions of the environment, these machines offer unprecedented freedom of action. Able to evolve at several hundred metres deep, to transmit live high-definition images, to detect structures thanks to their embedded sensors and to intervene with extreme precision, they have become a real robotic extension of the archaeologist.

A recent mission, in June 2025, conducted with Anne Joncheray is an impressive demonstration of it. Renowned archaeologist and director of the Saint-Raphaël Archaeological Museum, she had spotted a sonar anomaly at great depth off the coast of Île d'Or (near Hyères) in 2016. Due to the lack of suitable means, the nature of this structure remained unaltered. The intervention of Mines Paris PSL, as part of the Underwater 2025 engineering project, led to the deployment of two submarine drones remotely operated from the surface.

At 107 metres below the surface, the mission revealed a metal barge of about 15 metres long. Far from an archaeological treasure, however, this wreck nonetheless has a story to tell.

Its exploration led to the identification of an engine, a foldable crane, a plastic boat and a fender dating from after 1975, signs of a functional and recent construction. The absence of any visible pollution and the presence of abundant wildlife - lobsters, corals, sponges – further testify to the gradual transformation of this wreck into an artificial reef.

Through this operation, a new way of doing archaeology is establishing itself. This is no longer defined solely by physical diving, but by an interdisciplinary approach integrating archaeology, engineering, history and biology. Drones complete the archaeologists’ toolkit, taking them to previously inaccessible areas, they extend their vision and their reach.

Thanks to these ROVs, exploration is also becoming safer, more precise and above all more respectful of fragile environments. The past, sometimes hidden, often buried, can thus be better understood, better protected, and shared with a wider audience.