What must be considered in an attempt to critically analyse beads? Multiple historic period shipwrecks ranging in dates from the 11th century to the 18th century have been archaeologically excavated from Philippine waters. Past studies have either…
The five inhabited islands (Tutuila, Aunu’u, Ofu, Olosega, and Ta’u) and two distant coral atolls (Swains Atoll and Rose Atoll) of American Samoa have a diverse maritime past. Consequently, maritime heritage properties reflect different aspects…
The unique underwater cultural heritage (UCH) of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) remains a formidable challenge for management and preservation. The heritage includes traditional sites such as important coral reef heads and Marshallese…
The archipelagic nature of the Philippines and its strategic maritime location in the South China Sea gives an indication of the country’s significant underwater cultural heritage. Indigenous and foreign watercraft dating from the 3rd century C.E.…
Over the past few decades historians and archaeologists have moved away from examining their topics from nationalist perspectives but instead have looked for regional connections, such as the Atlantic world. This approach seeks to understand the…
The June 1944 the United States of America's (USA) invasion of Saipan was the largest amphibious invasion of a Pacific island up to that time. Specialized craft constructed specifically for this invasion were utilized in order to deliver American…
During the pre-colonial and early colonial period of Australia’s history c.1780–1907, monsoon traders from the eastern part of Indonesia sailed to parts of Australia’s northern coast searching for marine products such as trepang for the Chinese…
During the beginning of the Common Era, the Maritime trade peaked in the regions of Southeast Asia, Peninsular India, Srilanka and the Red Sea coast. The Greek and Latin accounts clearly attest to the increased trade activities in this period. The…
A fundamental challenge for managers is how to allow divers access to shipwrecks whilst ensuring these sites are not harmed. A better understanding of the motivations and attitudes of divers who visit shipwrecks may allow better informed and more…
Between 1884 and 1924, a total of fourteen torpedo boats served in the naval defence of Australia and New Zealand. Australasia’s colonial governments purchased these vessels as a consequence of fears of seaborne invasion by Imperial Russia and…
Historical records have shown that the East African coast was connected to ancient global trade networks. These early overseas contacts are evidenced by references to trading voyages in the early 1st millennium AD and in the 11th to 14th century AD.…
Manila Galleons are the stuff of legend. Active for 250 years they were the vehicle for people, products and ideas between Asia and the Spanish World. Among the biggest ships of their time, they were built to endure one of the most difficult…
The development of a World War Two (WWII) underwater heritage trail focusing on the Battle of Saipan has recently been undertaken in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands on Saipan. This WWII heritage trail was formulated out of the…
Spanish cultural heritage continues to play a role in social, cultural and political developments in Micronesia and can contribute to a broader understanding of Indigenous and Spanish histories in the Pacific. Thus, Spanish cultural heritage should…
The conservation of underwater cultural heritage (UCH) requires not only an understanding of the physical environment in which an object is located but also its legal environment needs to be considered. For example, what is the legal position with…
From the time that whaleships first rounded Cape Horn at the end of the eighteenth century, the activities of European and American whalers transformed the landscape and seascape of the Pacific region. While systematic hunting had a profound effect…
The protection of underwater cultural heritage (UCH) often falls prey to interpretation of, or exclusion from, the law. With the ratification of the 2001 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) Convention on the…
Over more than a decade ago a United States of America’s (USA) Air Force aircraft was found underwater off the coast of Biak in West Papua. The aircraft is believed to be a PBY Catalina, a WWII amphibious bomber aircraft.
This paper aims to provide evidence of historical documents in Chinese steamship industry and how these materials may provide context to better understand the underwater cultural heritage. What were the economic impacts of steamship industry on…
Since 2007 the archaeological excavations at Pattanam, located on the southwestern coast of India, were undertaken by the Kerala Council for Historical Research (KCHR) Thiruvananthapuram. These efforts unearthed an early historic (1st c BCE – 5th c…