Underwater archaeology deals with the study of submerged sites and objects
To cite this page: Tan, Noel Hidalgo (2021, Updated 11 February 2023) Underwater Archaeology. Southeast Asian Archaeology. Available at: https://www.southeastasianarchaeology.com/underwater-archaeology/
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Overview
The seas and waterways play an important role in connecting the regions of ancient Southeast Asia, and as a result there is a lot of underwater cultural heritage that can tell us about the past. Underwater archaeologists typically study shipwrecks and their cargo in open waters, artefacts can be found in rivers and lakes as well. The practice of underwater archaeology requires specialised technical knowledge on top on general archaeological skills, and it can be very expensive to conduct underwater archaeological operations. As a result, there are not many countries capable of conducting underwater archaeology operations. At the same time, shipwrecks can be a lucrative source of antiques or even scrap metal, and the looting of such is a major problem in the region.
Recommended Books
These are books relevant to underwater archaeology, and underwater cultural heritage in Southeast Asia in particular. Some of these links are affiliate links and I may receive a commission if you click on them and make a purchase. For other sources of reliable academic information, you should also check out the books page for latest releases and the occassional free book, as well as the journals page for the latest scientific research.
Last update on 2024-12-03 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Popular Posts
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Underwater Archaeology News Archive
The news reports indexed below usually link to external sites that were active at the time of posting; sometimes websites may be temporarily down or may have reorganised their underlying architecture or have even closed down – in these cases the links may not be available. Most of the news articles archived are in English, although when I am made aware of stories in this and other languages I try to index them.
Other Underwater Archaeology Websites
These are links to external sites and unless stated, I have no connection with the organisations or entities in these links or control over their content. They are sorted alphabetically, but you should also explore the Resources page which have links sorted by themes. If you have a link to suggest, please get in touch!
- Hong Kong Underwater Heritage Group – Group of volunteer divers interested in the underwater cultural heritage of Hong Kong.
- Underwater Archaeology Division – A division of the Fine Arts Department, the government agency in Thailnd responsible for archaeology.
- Vietnam Maritime Archeology Project – Facebook Page
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