We are now just about ready to press go on the next run of the shipwrecks course.  This will be the third time we have run the programme, and it seems like an appropriate time to reflect on what we’ve learnt, what we hope to achieve in this next run and … to get feedback on what people think might be good to do next.

First, some numbers. With the next run of the course we will have reached over 19,000 people worldwide through the Shipwrecks course, a number that goes up each day with additional sign-ups still occurring.  This is a monumental achievement if we consider what might have been thought of as the slightly niche nature of maritime archaeology.

One of the joys of running the Shipwrecks and Submerged Worlds course has been engaging with those 19,000 people, and realising not only the breadth of interest out there, but also the depth of knowledge.  The comments sections for each of the steps that people complete have become a wealth of information, broadening out on what we could provide through the short videos and articles.

We have also learnt what people would like more of.  People have really engaged with the steps on the course that include activities, from looking at changing sea-levels around the world, through to identifying wrecks in bathymetric data.  This something that we think we could perhaps do more of, providing an entry point for people to access and understand freely available data – making heritage resources more accessible.  This is particularly important for us when thinking about submerged sites.  These are locations that the vast majority of the population will never visit (either because diving isn’t an option for them, or because access is restricted).  We can now help people to engage with these sites remotely.  As such, if there is an interest, this is something we could develop further.

19,000 people is not a huge number when compared to those who sign up to free language courses, or even the number of people who might visit a local museum.  However, it is a substantial number of people in terms of broadening access to maritime archaeology.  In the past our means of engagement have been more limited in terms of numbers of people who can attend (conferences) or require a financial investment perhaps only suitable for those with a distinct focus on the subject.  Being free, and globally available, the course has enabled us to see the demand that lies out there and help people gain access to resources for them to build their knowledge of our shared maritime heritage.

Behind the scenes putting on the course takes quite a bit of effort from a whole team of people.  As such, we’re interested to know what you think of our efforts, and, how you think we might continue to develop and open up resources for maritime archaeology.   If you are doing the course for the first time we would love to have your comments, and, if you’re returning to dig a little deeper, please do let us know about what the course has done for you (and what you think it could do in the future).

The post Engaging people with maritime archaeology across the globe appeared first on Shipwrecks and Submerged Worlds.

Tybrind Vig was the first submerged settlement excavated in Denmark between 1977 and 1987. The settlement is located 300m from the shore and 3m below the surface. Divers excavated well-preserved artefacts from the Ertebølle Culture. A large kitchen midden was also found.

Transcript

Hi! I’m Dr Fraser Sturt and, true to form, I’m not going pick a wreck, but I’m actually going to pick a site – a submerged site – and my favourite submerged site is Tybrind Vig in Denmark. And the reason why it’s my favourite site is the fact that it gave us a huge amount to understanding Mesolithic archaeology through its decorated paddles and log boats. It also demonstrated what submerged worlds can be in an archaeological term. But there’s more than this.

One of the really exciting things about Tybrind Vig is it was actually discovered through a public competition. The magazine ‘Hjemmet’ in 1952 I think it was made a public competition to find earliest submerged site in the waters around Denmark… and this is just when SCUBA was coming in. And so there was a huge movement by people to go out into the waters and look for archaeology and they found truly significant sites which have changed our understanding and how we think of the archaeological record today.

So, Tybrind Vig is an amazing archaeological site. It was a pioneering site in terms of the excavation of submerged prehistoric sites, but it was also a really good example of citizen science. This was found by people interested in their heritage in their waters. So Tybrind Vig, for me, is amazing.

We cover Tybrind Vig in more detail in Week 4 of Shipwrecks and Submerged Worlds and Helen has also posted a video answering questions that were posed about this topic.

The post Tybrind Vig – submerged site appeared first on Shipwrecks and Submerged Worlds.

We are very happy to announce a  fully funded PhD studentship for UK/EU students as part of the Marine and Maritime Futures Leverhulme Trust Doctoral Scholarship scheme at the University of Southampton.   If you have an excellent academic track record, are looking for a stimulating and challenging transdisciplinary project in a world class research environment please read on for further details on how to apply …

Project Title:  Mapping potential wreck sites with seafloor data – scientific, social and legal considerations

Supervisors:  Dr Fraser Sturt, Dr Justin Dix and Prof Michael Tsimplis

Rationale:

Thousands of potentially polluting WWII shipwrecks litter the ocean floor. The pollutants carried on board may include oil, ammunition or other toxic materials. Leakage of pollutants from such wrecks may take place continuously or catastrophically, and the risk of such an event increases with time. The location of several of these wrecks is known and monitored by national administrations, but by far the majority sank without exact information on their location. The UK Ministry of Defence is presently undertaking a project trying to identify the location of such WW II wrecks, on the basis of historic information. In addition, hindcasts of oceanic circulation and storm surges extending before WWII can be used to enhance our understanding of the nature of the wrecking. Finally, there are now multiple publically available (UKHO, CCO, MCA) and commercial sources of swath bathymetry from the UK shelf, against which this archive derived wreck record can be compared. In many cases the decimetre resolution of the swath data will also facilitate full mapping of the identified sites.

This PhD will combine historical records with the prevailing weather and oceanographic conditions at the time of sinking in order to define areas where the wrecks may be. These zones will be cross- referenced against the extant swath bathymetry targets to facilitate an assessment of the environmental risk present in the various areas of the UK Continental Shelf. Key to this project is the co-consideration of legal responsibilities for identifying and locating such wrecks and ensure they are not polluting the seas. Issues to explore include: Where the wrecks were at the time of sinking beyond jurisdiction of the state but now rest within the UK shelf or EEZ does responsibility rest with the UK; Do the flag state of ships have responsibility under international law?

Methodology:

The student will undertake a wide range of activities, to include assessment of the historic record. These data sources will be cross- referenced with the HER and NMR records from Historic England and the UKHO wreck record as well as the extensive grey literature that exists. Key events will be cross-referenced against firstly observed and modelled meteorological and oceanographic data to supplement the written records of wrecking. GIS based spatial analysis will be fundamental to the identification of targets areas for analysis of the in situ data. Finally, digital analysis of swath bathymetry data (and any other geological data available) from target zones will be undertaken to identify the location, state of the wreck and local sedimentary environment. Finally, the legal implications of the spread of sites will be considered with respect to both national and international law.

Training:

The project will entail a transdisciplinary approach which will require a good command of legal knowledge and skills as well as a contemporary real-world focus in marine and social sciences and inter disciplinary awareness for tackling the challenges of MSP framework.

The student will benefit from PGT and PGR taught modules in all three aspects of this transdisciplinary project. It will be essential in the first year that the student undertakes modules in high resolution marine geophysics, marine geoarchaeology, maritime law and maritime archaeology. In addition, to these taught modules there will be extensive opportunities for students to expand their multi-disciplinary outlook through interactions with a wide network of academic, research and industrial/government / policy such as those offered by the Centre of Maritime Archaeology, the Geology & Geophysics Research Group and the broader LTDS cohort. The researcher will attend lectures, symposia, seminar programs and conferences so as to be aware of the latest challenges relevant to the project.

Background reading:

1. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administation. 2013. Risk Assessment for Potentially Polluting Wrecks in U.S. Waters. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administation, Silver Spring, MD. 127 pp

2. Astley, A., Dix, J.K., Thompson, C.E.L. and Sturt, F. 2014. A seventeen year, near-annual, bathymetric time-series of a marine structure (SS Richard Montgomery). In, Cheng, L., Draper, S. and An, H.(eds.) Scour and Erosion: Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Scour and Erosion. International Conference on Scour and Erosion, Taylor & Francis, 715-724.

How to apply:

To apply for this PhD candidates should first contact Dr Fraser Sturt to discuss the project.  Following this candidates should complete the online form found here: http://www.southampton.ac.uk/courses/how-to-apply/postgraduate-applications.page, selecting the options for Faculty of Humanities, Doctor of Philosophy, Mphil/PhD Archaeology (Full Time).

Deadline for applications:  5th February 2016

Interview Date:  2nd March 2016

For further information contact: Dr Fraser Sturt, Dr Justin Dix and Prof Michael Tsimplis

The post Funded PhD: Mapping potential wreck sites with seafloor data – scientific, social and legal considerations appeared first on Shipwrecks and Submerged Worlds.

We are very happy to announce a  fully funded PhD studentship for UK/EU students as part of the Marine and Maritime Futures Leverhulme Trust Doctoral Scholarship scheme at the University of Southampton.   If you have an excellent academic track record, are looking for a stimulating and challenging transdisciplinary project in a world class research environment please read on for further details on how to apply …

Project Title:  Mapping potential wreck sites with seafloor data – scientific, social and legal considerations

Supervisors:  Dr Fraser Sturt, Dr Justin Dix and Prof Michael Tsimplis

Rationale:

Thousands of potentially polluting WWII shipwrecks litter the ocean floor. The pollutants carried on board may include oil, ammunition or other toxic materials. Leakage of pollutants from such wrecks may take place continuously or catastrophically, and the risk of such an event increases with time. The location of several of these wrecks is known and monitored by national administrations, but by far the majority sank without exact information on their location. The UK Ministry of Defence is presently undertaking a project trying to identify the location of such WW II wrecks, on the basis of historic information. In addition, hindcasts of oceanic circulation and storm surges extending before WWII can be used to enhance our understanding of the nature of the wrecking. Finally, there are now multiple publically available (UKHO, CCO, MCA) and commercial sources of swath bathymetry from the UK shelf, against which this archive derived wreck record can be compared. In many cases the decimetre resolution of the swath data will also facilitate full mapping of the identified sites.

This PhD will combine historical records with the prevailing weather and oceanographic conditions at the time of sinking in order to define areas where the wrecks may be. These zones will be cross- referenced against the extant swath bathymetry targets to facilitate an assessment of the environmental risk present in the various areas of the UK Continental Shelf. Key to this project is the co-consideration of legal responsibilities for identifying and locating such wrecks and ensure they are not polluting the seas. Issues to explore include: Where the wrecks were at the time of sinking beyond jurisdiction of the state but now rest within the UK shelf or EEZ does responsibility rest with the UK; Do the flag state of ships have responsibility under international law?

Methodology:

The student will undertake a wide range of activities, to include assessment of the historic record. These data sources will be cross- referenced with the HER and NMR records from Historic England and the UKHO wreck record as well as the extensive grey literature that exists. Key events will be cross-referenced against firstly observed and modelled meteorological and oceanographic data to supplement the written records of wrecking. GIS based spatial analysis will be fundamental to the identification of targets areas for analysis of the in situ data. Finally, digital analysis of swath bathymetry data (and any other geological data available) from target zones will be undertaken to identify the location, state of the wreck and local sedimentary environment. Finally, the legal implications of the spread of sites will be considered with respect to both national and international law.

Training:

The project will entail a transdisciplinary approach which will require a good command of legal knowledge and skills as well as a contemporary real-world focus in marine and social sciences and inter disciplinary awareness for tackling the challenges of MSP framework.

The student will benefit from PGT and PGR taught modules in all three aspects of this transdisciplinary project. It will be essential in the first year that the student undertakes modules in high resolution marine geophysics, marine geoarchaeology, maritime law and maritime archaeology. In addition, to these taught modules there will be extensive opportunities for students to expand their multi-disciplinary outlook through interactions with a wide network of academic, research and industrial/government / policy such as those offered by the Centre of Maritime Archaeology, the Geology & Geophysics Research Group and the broader LTDS cohort. The researcher will attend lectures, symposia, seminar programs and conferences so as to be aware of the latest challenges relevant to the project.

Background reading:

1. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administation. 2013. Risk Assessment for Potentially Polluting Wrecks in U.S. Waters. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administation, Silver Spring, MD. 127 pp

2. Astley, A., Dix, J.K., Thompson, C.E.L. and Sturt, F. 2014. A seventeen year, near-annual, bathymetric time-series of a marine structure (SS Richard Montgomery). In, Cheng, L., Draper, S. and An, H.(eds.) Scour and Erosion: Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Scour and Erosion. International Conference on Scour and Erosion, Taylor & Francis, 715-724.

How to apply:

To apply for this PhD candidates should first contact Dr Fraser Sturt to discuss the project.  Following this candidates should complete the online form found here: http://www.southampton.ac.uk/courses/how-to-apply/postgraduate-applications.page, selecting the options for Faculty of Humanities, Doctor of Philosophy, Mphil/PhD Archaeology (Full Time).

Deadline for applications:  5th February 2016

Interview Date:  2nd March 2016

For further information contact: Dr Fraser Sturt, Dr Justin Dix and Prof Michael Tsimplis

The post Funded PhD: Mapping potential wreck sites with seafloor data – scientific, social and legal considerations appeared first on Shipwrecks and Submerged Worlds.

We are very happy to announce a  fully funded PhD studentship for UK/EU students as part of the Marine and Maritime Futures Leverhulme Trust Doctoral Scholarship scheme at the University of Southampton.   If you have an excellent academic track record, are looking for a stimulating and challenging transdisciplinary project in a world class research environment please read on for further details on how to apply …

Project Title:  Mapping potential wreck sites with seafloor data – scientific, social and legal considerations

Supervisors:  Dr Fraser Sturt, Dr Justin Dix and Prof Michael Tsimplis

Rationale:

Thousands of potentially polluting WWII shipwrecks litter the ocean floor. The pollutants carried on board may include oil, ammunition or other toxic materials. Leakage of pollutants from such wrecks may take place continuously or catastrophically, and the risk of such an event increases with time. The location of several of these wrecks is known and monitored by national administrations, but by far the majority sank without exact information on their location. The UK Ministry of Defence is presently undertaking a project trying to identify the location of such WW II wrecks, on the basis of historic information. In addition, hindcasts of oceanic circulation and storm surges extending before WWII can be used to enhance our understanding of the nature of the wrecking. Finally, there are now multiple publically available (UKHO, CCO, MCA) and commercial sources of swath bathymetry from the UK shelf, against which this archive derived wreck record can be compared. In many cases the decimetre resolution of the swath data will also facilitate full mapping of the identified sites.

This PhD will combine historical records with the prevailing weather and oceanographic conditions at the time of sinking in order to define areas where the wrecks may be. These zones will be cross- referenced against the extant swath bathymetry targets to facilitate an assessment of the environmental risk present in the various areas of the UK Continental Shelf. Key to this project is the co-consideration of legal responsibilities for identifying and locating such wrecks and ensure they are not polluting the seas. Issues to explore include: Where the wrecks were at the time of sinking beyond jurisdiction of the state but now rest within the UK shelf or EEZ does responsibility rest with the UK; Do the flag state of ships have responsibility under international law?

Methodology:

The student will undertake a wide range of activities, to include assessment of the historic record. These data sources will be cross- referenced with the HER and NMR records from Historic England and the UKHO wreck record as well as the extensive grey literature that exists. Key events will be cross-referenced against firstly observed and modelled meteorological and oceanographic data to supplement the written records of wrecking. GIS based spatial analysis will be fundamental to the identification of targets areas for analysis of the in situ data. Finally, digital analysis of swath bathymetry data (and any other geological data available) from target zones will be undertaken to identify the location, state of the wreck and local sedimentary environment. Finally, the legal implications of the spread of sites will be considered with respect to both national and international law.

Training:

The project will entail a transdisciplinary approach which will require a good command of legal knowledge and skills as well as a contemporary real-world focus in marine and social sciences and inter disciplinary awareness for tackling the challenges of MSP framework.

The student will benefit from PGT and PGR taught modules in all three aspects of this transdisciplinary project. It will be essential in the first year that the student undertakes modules in high resolution marine geophysics, marine geoarchaeology, maritime law and maritime archaeology. In addition, to these taught modules there will be extensive opportunities for students to expand their multi-disciplinary outlook through interactions with a wide network of academic, research and industrial/government / policy such as those offered by the Centre of Maritime Archaeology, the Geology & Geophysics Research Group and the broader LTDS cohort. The researcher will attend lectures, symposia, seminar programs and conferences so as to be aware of the latest challenges relevant to the project.

Background reading:

1. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administation. 2013. Risk Assessment for Potentially Polluting Wrecks in U.S. Waters. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administation, Silver Spring, MD. 127 pp

2. Astley, A., Dix, J.K., Thompson, C.E.L. and Sturt, F. 2014. A seventeen year, near-annual, bathymetric time-series of a marine structure (SS Richard Montgomery). In, Cheng, L., Draper, S. and An, H.(eds.) Scour and Erosion: Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Scour and Erosion. International Conference on Scour and Erosion, Taylor & Francis, 715-724.

How to apply:

To apply for this PhD candidates should first contact Dr Fraser Sturt to discuss the project.  Following this candidates should complete the online form found here: selecting the options for Faculty of Humanities, Doctor of Philosophy, Mphil/PhD Archaeology (Full Time).

Deadline for applications:  5th February 2016

Interview Date:  2nd March 2016

For further information contact: Dr Fraser Sturt, Dr Justin Dix and Prof Michael Tsimplis

The post Funded PhD: Mapping potential wreck sites with seafloor data – scientific, social and legal considerations appeared first on Shipwrecks and Submerged Worlds.

We are very happy to announce a  fully funded PhD studentship for UK/EU students as part of the Marine and Maritime Futures Leverhulme Trust Doctoral Scholarship scheme at the University of Southampton.   If you have an excellent academic track record, are looking for a stimulating and challenging transdisciplinary project in a world class research environment please read on for further details on how to apply …

Project Title:  Mapping potential wreck sites with seafloor data – scientific, social and legal considerations

Supervisors:  Dr Fraser Sturt, Dr Justin Dix and Prof Michael Tsimplis

Rationale:

Thousands of potentially polluting WWII shipwrecks litter the ocean floor. The pollutants carried on board may include oil, ammunition or other toxic materials. Leakage of pollutants from such wrecks may take place continuously or catastrophically, and the risk of such an event increases with time. The location of several of these wrecks is known and monitored by national administrations, but by far the majority sank without exact information on their location. The UK Ministry of Defence is presently undertaking a project trying to identify the location of such WW II wrecks, on the basis of historic information. In addition, hindcasts of oceanic circulation and storm surges extending before WWII can be used to enhance our understanding of the nature of the wrecking. Finally, there are now multiple publically available (UKHO, CCO, MCA) and commercial sources of swath bathymetry from the UK shelf, against which this archive derived wreck record can be compared. In many cases the decimetre resolution of the swath data will also facilitate full mapping of the identified sites.

This PhD will combine historical records with the prevailing weather and oceanographic conditions at the time of sinking in order to define areas where the wrecks may be. These zones will be cross- referenced against the extant swath bathymetry targets to facilitate an assessment of the environmental risk present in the various areas of the UK Continental Shelf. Key to this project is the co-consideration of legal responsibilities for identifying and locating such wrecks and ensure they are not polluting the seas. Issues to explore include: Where the wrecks were at the time of sinking beyond jurisdiction of the state but now rest within the UK shelf or EEZ does responsibility rest with the UK; Do the flag state of ships have responsibility under international law?

Methodology:

The student will undertake a wide range of activities, to include assessment of the historic record. These data sources will be cross- referenced with the HER and NMR records from Historic England and the UKHO wreck record as well as the extensive grey literature that exists. Key events will be cross-referenced against firstly observed and modelled meteorological and oceanographic data to supplement the written records of wrecking. GIS based spatial analysis will be fundamental to the identification of targets areas for analysis of the in situ data. Finally, digital analysis of swath bathymetry data (and any other geological data available) from target zones will be undertaken to identify the location, state of the wreck and local sedimentary environment. Finally, the legal implications of the spread of sites will be considered with respect to both national and international law.

Training:

The project will entail a transdisciplinary approach which will require a good command of legal knowledge and skills as well as a contemporary real-world focus in marine and social sciences and inter disciplinary awareness for tackling the challenges of MSP framework.

The student will benefit from PGT and PGR taught modules in all three aspects of this transdisciplinary project. It will be essential in the first year that the student undertakes modules in high resolution marine geophysics, marine geoarchaeology, maritime law and maritime archaeology. In addition, to these taught modules there will be extensive opportunities for students to expand their multi-disciplinary outlook through interactions with a wide network of academic, research and industrial/government / policy such as those offered by the Centre of Maritime Archaeology, the Geology & Geophysics Research Group and the broader LTDS cohort. The researcher will attend lectures, symposia, seminar programs and conferences so as to be aware of the latest challenges relevant to the project.

Background reading:

1. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administation. 2013. Risk Assessment for Potentially Polluting Wrecks in U.S. Waters. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administation, Silver Spring, MD. 127 pp

2. Astley, A., Dix, J.K., Thompson, C.E.L. and Sturt, F. 2014. A seventeen year, near-annual, bathymetric time-series of a marine structure (SS Richard Montgomery). In, Cheng, L., Draper, S. and An, H.(eds.) Scour and Erosion: Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Scour and Erosion. International Conference on Scour and Erosion, Taylor & Francis, 715-724.

How to apply:

To apply for this PhD candidates should first contact Dr Fraser Sturt to discuss the project.  Following this candidates should complete the online form found here: http://www.southampton.ac.uk/courses/how-to-apply/postgraduate-applications.page, selecting the options for Faculty of Humanities, Doctor of Philosophy, Mphil/PhD Archaeology (Full Time).

Deadline for applications:  5th February 2016

Interview Date:  2nd March 2016

For further information contact: Dr Fraser Sturt, Dr Justin Dix and Prof Michael Tsimplis

The post Funded PhD: Mapping potential wreck sites with seafloor data – scientific, social and legal considerations appeared first on Shipwrecks and Submerged Worlds.

It’s with a strange mixture of excitement and trepidation that we’re gearing up for the next run of the Shipwrecks and Submerged Worlds course (which starts on Monday 25^th May). The first run last year was an incredibly positive experience. We had no idea what to expect, or an understanding of how people would react to the content we had created. From my experience working out on site and doing lectures for different societies, I thought that there would be a good level of interest. However, if you’d told me that over 10,000 people would take part I don’t think I would have believed you. It was those people and their diversity of experience and ideas that really made the course come to life, and what makes this next run so exciting a prospect.

It is very easy to sound glib about this, but, it was our primary reason for creating the course. We wanted to make maritime archaeology more open and accessible to people, and to hear about their experiences and views. The most rewarding thing to see was the discussions going on beneath each article. The course quickly took on a life of its own, with people asking questions and others answering; bringing new ideas, examples and datasets to light. I was also amazed at how welcoming and willing everyone seemed to be. With so much written about negative internet and social media experiences, it was genuinely uplifting to see people helping each and discussing things out of pure scholarly interest.

This is not to say that the course was perfect, or that we haven’t wanted to change things. Indeed, we got some excellent feedback from participants. It was clear that we had been a little ambitious in cramming in so much detail into four weeks, with the extending reading offering people ways to lose days rather than hours in pursuing their interests. Our initial idea was to lengthen the course for this run; to turn it into a six-week rather than four-week course. However, in the end we have opted to do one more run of a four-week course, tweaked to balance material out a little more and with the further reading listed on this blog rather than the site (so people don’t feel so pressured to do it!). In a way we’re conforming to the diving maxim of ‘plan the dive, dive the plan’, continuing to perfect what we have before creating additional issues to resolve.

We’re very interested to hear what people think of the changes we’ve made, and if you think we should have shifted it to a 6 week format. One thing we’re doing this time to help answer questions and provide more detail is to do a weekly Q & A video. During the week we’ll collate your comments and questions and provide answers via a video discussion. We hope this will allow us to both address simple and complex issues, smoothing out any bumps that remain (and we do expect there still to be some).

It seems appropriate that I am going to be spending this weekend exploring the maritime landscapes of the Outer Hebrides (looking at the Neolithic in particular), meaning that when I log on to see the initial comments I’ll just have been immersed (at times literally) in the subject we’ll be exploring.

The post Plan the dive, dive the plan: Shipwrecks and Submerged Worlds (2nd run) appeared first on Shipwrecks and Submerged Worlds.

After a lot of hard work by a huge number of people the Shipwrecks and Submerged Worlds course goes live tomorrow.  I and my colleagues have been spending the weekend reading through the different elements trying to iron out any minor issues, all the while thinking about how it will be received.  At points while we were putting this together it felt like we’d taken on an impossible challenge.  Not because it was hard work, but, because of the problem of how you condense a very broad subject into 4 different blocks, each supposed to take around four hours to complete.  Added to this we had the challenge of translating a subject which is rooted in material culture into a virtual form.  Archaeology is at its most vibrant in the field, museum and laboratory – when the material can be encountered and provoke a response.  Similarly, the different environments we work in as maritime archaeologists help create different forms of understanding; from plodding through sucking inter-tidal muds, happy days on boats, or diving down to visit a new site.  Viewed from this angle, translating all of that experience into an online course is a near impossible challenge – instead we’ve taken the only logical way forward, looking to introduce people to the subject, hopefully to enthuse them about it, and to position ourselves to respond to their thoughts and questions.

If you’re reading this post and are going to take part in the course, we really do want to know what you think, and to answer any questions you may have.  It will be interesting to see what people enjoy, what people hoped would have been there (but isn’t) and what people think should be changed.  Similarly, it’ll be interesting to hear about Maritime Archaeology and maritime heritage in different parts of the world and perspectives.

So, at the end of all this I, and i think all the team, have come to thinking that we may have finished posting material up onto the MOOC site, but, the course certainly isn’t complete.  Elsewhere i’ve written in an academic article about teaching maritime archaeology at university level, that the most important factor is the nature of the learning community you create.  You can’t simply plan your lectures and repeat them each year, as every cohort is different  and brings with it new challenges and opportunities.  This is what makes being a lecturer such a good job; we don’t just teach in the traditional sense of the word but look to engage, learn with (and from) our students.   As such, the prospect of engaging with a learning community at the scale of thousands is both daunting and exciting.   I am looking forward to being challenged in new ways and encountering new ideas and opinions.  Its still frustrating to think of new things we could add in and bits that could be refined, but, it would probably be more worrying if we didn’t …

The post T – 24 hours appeared first on Shipwrecks and Submerged Worlds.

It’s hard to conceive of the numerous ways in which our world has changed since 1978. We’ve seen the rise and fall of technologies (VHS tapes, audio cassettes) the transformation of global politics (the fall of the Berlin Wall) and the emergence of new ways of communicating via the web. Even within the relatively small field of maritime archaeology there have been dramatic advancements: new technologies (multibeam bathymetry, synthetic aperture sonar, Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) and Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs)) and new ideas about how to understand the past. These matched with a constant flow of exciting new discoveries have served to transform the subject. Yet, after all this change, we are still recommending to people on courses in the 21^st century that they read a book published in 1978, Maritime Archaeology by Keith Muckelroy … how can this be so?

Well, there are in fact numerous reasons. Most academic fields can point to texts that have stood the test of time, due to the fundamental issues addressed. This is certainly the case with Maritime Archaeology. Here we find careful consideration as to what Maritime Archaeology is, its scope and, perhaps most importantly, its potential. Muckelroy was writing at a time when there had already been significant progress in advancing archaeology under water. George Bass’s work at Cape Gelidonya had clearly demonstrated how meticulous excavation of submerged shipwrecks could revolutionise our understanding of key archaeological questions. There was even a burgeoning archaeological literature, across the globe, that pointed to a nascent discipline.

However, much of the work being carried out was seen to fall within very specific domains of knowledge (nautical archaeology, marine archaeology etc.) or related to what were thought to be exceptional sites. Muckelroy’s inspired step was to deliberately look more broadly, defining ‘Maritime Archaeology’ as:

“the scientific study of the material remains of man and his activities on the sea”
(1978, 4)

While today we’d certainly look to remove the gender bias from this definition, we can still pick out the breadth of its scope. For Muckelroy (indeed, as it had been for Bass and many others), maritime archaeology was about more than just shipwrecks. One of the important features of his book is that he makes this clear from the start, and then goes on to explain how bringing in the breadth of evidence for maritime activity in the past helps to create an improved understanding of history.

Again, there is impressive work in the detail. If you browse through the chapters of Maritime Archaeology you can learn about the scope of the discipline, issues with working underwater and the importance of studying ships and boats. Beyond this you can also see the importance of theory and scientific method to the study of the past, along with a consideration of the physical characteristics of sites. This is all wrapped up with an attempt to draw the different strands back together to move understanding forward, and (crucially) generate new questions.

It is for this last point that Maritime Archaeology remains a key text today. Muckelroy saw himself as writing at the very beginning of a new field of study. In the preface to the volume he thanks Margaret Rule and Professors Grahame Clark, George Bass, Ian Hodder, Glyn Daniel and Dr David Clarke, stating:

“I must express my gratitude to all the lecturers and supervisors … who were prepared to devote time and energy to my education, despite my addiction to a specialism of dubious respectability and uncertain validity”
(1978, ix)

However, through forcing people to think about the questions they could answer via maritime remains, and the need for an exacting approach to the past, Muckelroy ensured that Maritime Archaeology in the UK became both respectable and valued. He also ensured that some of the broader questions and ideas he touched on in the volume may never truly be answered.  This serves to push the discipline on, looking for improved techniques, datasets and ideas to help us resolve questions about the past.

Maritime Archaeology is thus not a new book, and nor do I agree with everything that is written in it (but, I don’t suppose Muckelroy would have wanted that to be the case). However, it does still have relevance, helping us to chart how far we have come, and how much further we need to go.

Finally, I realise this is a very Eurocentric point of view. One of the things that has been exciting all the team working on our new online course has been how views from across the world can be shared. As such, it’d be very interesting to hear what books have come to the fore in different regions.

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Hello, I am Fraser Sturt and I am one of the educators on the Shipwrecks and   Submerged Worlds course. I am a maritime archaeologist with specialisms in prehistory, geoarchaeology and advanced computational techniques. Essentially I am interested in how people’s relationship with the world’s oceans and seas has changed through time; from the impact of changing sea-levels on population and resource distribution through to the connections  created through seafaring. Answering questions related to these themes is complex, requiring knowledge of a variety of techniques and an ability to work both on land and underwater.  This means that my job never gets dull, and that the questions I am interested in are relevant across the globe, and have significance for how we think about the present and future, as well the past.

While my passion is for understanding the changes which occurred both socially and culturally in North West Europe over the last 12,000 years (particularly in the period 12,000 – 4000 years ago) and the amazing potential of submerged landscapes, I am increasingly interested in how changes over this period played out in other regions.  Recently this has seen me working on the pacific coasts of South and North America. I’ll also admit to a creeping interest in earlier periods (the submerged Palaeolithic landscapes of North West Europe), as well as shipwrecks…

The other important part of my job at the University of Southampton is teaching undergraduates and postgraduates about maritime archaeology and geoarchaeology. I currently coordinate the MA/MSc in Maritime Archaeology and supervise a number of PhDs on maritime, geoarchaeological and prehistoric themes.

If you’d like to read about one of my current research projects you can follow me on twitter (@FSturt),  or take a look at the Neolithic Stepping Stones website, run in conjunction with Duncan Garrow at the University of Reading.

I am looking forward to hearing peoples’ thoughts and ideas on the course!

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