5000 years ago, men built wooden villages on the shores of alpine lakes. These “pile-dwellings” were eventually abandoned, their remains quickly covered by sediments deposited by rising water levels. Isolated from the air, fragile material such as wood has remained intact, representing an incredible source of information on the way our very distant ancestors lived. Today, some archaeological sites could be threatened by the joint effects of natural erosion and human activities.

Since Antiquity, the Swiss lakes have been used to transport people and goods. Many vessels were lost through the ages, to be forgotten under several meters of protective sediment. The constant erosion of our lakes reveals new remains, that must rapidly be studied before they are forever lost.

The Island of Mozambique is a long-forgotten legendary place. Since the end of the 15th century, it became a major Portuguese settlement, where most of the ships on the sea route to India would stop before crossing the ocean.
Today, a local archaeologist fights against treasure hunters to preserve the outstanding historical heritage. Under his supervision, an underwater archaeology learning center and a museum will open soon.

Of the many archaeological treasures in Albania, the ancient port of Oricum is arguably one of the most intriguing. This forgotten city played a crucial role in Julius Caesar’s ascent to total domination. Yet, during the better part of the 20th century, the communist regime isolated Albania from the rest of the world. Archaeologists are only now scratching the surface of the site’s potential.

Modern Albania withholds numerous forgotten archaeological treasures. One of them is the ancient city of Oricum, where a key event in Julius Caesar’s ascent to total domination took place. The communist era that isolated the country for most of the 20th century preserved this fascinating site until today, as archaeologists have only recently started their research.

For the pilot project, the Octopus Foundation chose to study the zone where a British fighter plane was shot down by the German artillery on the 19th of July 1944. To look into the underwater area next to the coast of Cephalonia, in Greece, the crew used many different techniques. Today, the end result is that anybody can follow us deep underwater to understand what really happened that day.