Underwater Archaeology Around the World

Underwater archaeological projects range from the exploration of 19^th -century shipwrecks sunk below the ice of Canada's Arctic Sea to surveys of artificial islands in Polynesian Ponape, and from inundated springs in Florida containing the oldest physical remains of humans in the New World to Bronze Age lake dwellings in the Swiss Alps. Because most of the earth's surface is covered in water and the underwater world, until recently, has been largely inaccessible, the underwater archaeological repository is vast.

Recent projects in North America includes the confederate submarine H.L. Hunley (1864) in South Carolina; Blackbeard's ship Queen Anne's Revenge (1717) in North Carolina; La Salle's ship La Belle (1686) in Texas; the Emanuel Point shipwreck (1559) in Florida; and a ship from the ill-fated Phips expedition Elizabeth and Mary (1690) in Canada. In the Caribbean and Latin America there are HMS Swift (1770) wrecked at the southern tip of Argentina, and the search for the Flota de la Nueva España of 1630-31 in the Gulf of Mexico. (Photo: Courtesy Instituto Nacional de Antropologia e Historia, 1630-31 Flota Project, Mexico.)

Elsewhere around the world are the investigations of Pandora (1791) wrecked in Australia, sent to bring Bounty and its crew back from Polynesia; and the Indiaman nau Nossa Senhora dos Martires (1606) and the Angra Bay ships (16^th to 19^th century) in Portugal.

Other notable projects are the VOC Amsterdam (1749) and VOC Hollandia (1743) both Dutch East Indiamen wrecked off southern coast of England; the Tudor warship Mary Rose (1545) in Portsmouth, England; the Molasses Reef Wreck (ca1525) in the Turks & Caicos Islands; the Swedish warships Vasa (1628) and Kronan (1676); sixteenth-century Basque whaling ships (1545) in Labrador, Canada; the VOC Batavia (1629) Australia's second oldest known shipwreck; and a Bronze Age vessel of the 14th century B.C. off the coast of Turkey.

These are only a very few of the many projects undertaken worldwide, which includes shipwrecks in the Great Lakes, Vikings ships in Scandinavia, coastal trading ships in the Gulf of Thailand, the remains of lakeside dwellings in the crannogs in Scottish lochs, and early man sites. Each of these projects is being undertaken by professional archaeologists often working with dedicated volunteers. Although spread across the globe and under the direction of many different organizations, the goal of each is similar: to preserve our shared underwater cultural heritage for the future by studying our past.

UNESCO Training Project Journal

Project Introduction

To assist in the protection of underwater cultural heritage in the Asia-Pacific region the Office of the UNESCO Regional Advisor for Culture in Asia and the Pacific is organizing a training-of-trainers field school programme for Sri Lankan maritime archaeologists and conservators to be conducted in Galle, Sri Lanka from March 20th to April 8th, 2008. This training-of-trainers course is designed to prepare a Sri Lankan Team for their future role as lead trainers in future training programmes for trainees coming from participating Member States in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Galle Fort lighthouse (Image courtesy of the Central Cultural Fund).

The training activity is the initial training programme under the UNESCO regional project entitled "Building Regional Capacities to Protect and Manage Underwater Archaeological Sites through the Establishment of a Regional 'Centre of Excellence' Field Training Facility and Programme of Instruction", which is being funded by the Royal Government of Norway under the UNESCO-Norway Funds-in-Trust Cooperation.

This 3-year project aims to protect the underwater cultural heritage by building regional capacities to protect and manage underwater archaeological sites through the establishment of a regional “Centre of Excellence” Field Training Facility and Programme of Instruction. The project was formulated in response to the recommendation of delegates and experts during the Asia-Pacific Regional Workshop to discuss the protection of the underwater cultural heritage, held in Hongkong, SAR China in November 2003.

The 2008 training-of-trainers programme follows an initial training-of-trainers programme organized in Sri Lanka in March 2006. A total of 14 participants, maritime archaeologists and conservators from the Central Cultural Fund, the Department of Archaeology, the Department of National Museums, and the Sri Lankan Navy will be taking part in the field school. The curriculum will include a series of lectures and workshops followed by a two week field session.

The Galle Fort in Sri Lanka (Photo courtesy of the Central Cultural Fund).

The following sites will be investigated during the field school.

• The “Earl of Shaftsbury” shipwreck
• The “Victory” shipwreck
• The Galle Fort ramparts.
  

This online journal is intended to provide regular updates on the activities of the participants during the course of the field school. It is hoped that this journal enables others interested in maritime archaeology, capacity development activities of UNESCO, or the protection of underwater cultural heritage, to follow our activities over the next few weeks.

By Amer Khan

What is Underwater Archaeology?

In underwater or maritime archaeology we learn about the past from maritime finds, usually shipwrecks, but also dwellings and ports. Along coastlines worldwide, many thousands of ships have perished. They are laying there as links to the past.

Investigating the Angra C wreck on the Azores in the Atlantic.

For example, the cold waters in the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe have a unique collection of well preserved wrecks from times past, and most of them have not been located – yet. Some examples of Nordic underwater archaeology are the Vasa, the Kronan, and the East Indiaman Götheborg excavations. These ships are impressive, but they are only parts of a maritime cultural landscape. In this cultural landscape we also include old harbours, anchorages, coastal inns, barrages built of poles, and coastal settlements. On dry land as well as under water. Thus, underwater or maritime archaeology does not necessarily deal with wrecks, even if that is the part scuba divers more often deal with.

Diving the Vrouw Maria in Finland.

In Sweden, the Swedish Underwater Federation aims, together with the Swedish Underwater Archaeology Society, at preserving and informing about the maritime cultural landscape. Most countries of the world have similar federations, societies and authorities. Excavations should not be attempted single-handedly. Such projects require training, equipment, and official permit. In Sweden and Finland, all submerged wrecks older than 100 years are legally protected, and may not be touched. Younger wrecks usually have an owner, who must give permission before anything is touched. This legislation differs from country to country.

Documenting a wreck in north Sweden: A clay pot and one of the tape measures used.

A common cause for a wreck's decay is the natural degradation. In the Atlantic, and other salt seas, wooden wrecks are eaten by the ship worm (Lat: teredo navalis). This animal does not live in the brackish Baltic Sea, because of its low salinity. That makes the Baltic Sea, as well as the North American Great Lakes, a unique treasure chamber of historic wrecks, often in depths accessible to scuba divers.

If you are a scuba diver, your help is needed to preserve this heritage. Then you too may experience the feeling of floating weightlessly above a wreck, perhaps one that's not previously discovered.