New Evidence from Dong Mae Nang Muang,
Nakorn Sawan Province, Central Thailand]]> The archaeological study of ships’ cargo, hull, and maritime infrastructure]]>
In 2008 an archaeological project was done to gain better knowledge of the site. Four test pits, one test trench and an earthen mound were excavated. These activities expanded the current understanding of the site's characteristics. The excavation revealed imported goods from all over the world such as; ceramics, glass and semi-precious stone beads and glass vessels. This important phenomenon was a strong impact on current knowledge of the inter-relationship between Dvaravati, an ancient settlement in the Upper Chao Phraya basin, and the sea port town via China and Western Asia2, this has reconsidered the role of economics in the area especially the details of trade-routes and the merchandise during the Dvaravati period (5th-12th centuries AD).]]> UCH in the Making… online session]]> Nautical (Ship and boat) Archaeology of South Asia]]> The archaeological study of ships’ cargo, hull, and maritime infrastructure]]>
The first vessel discovered was conserved and is exhibited on site. A second ship was excavated and is on display in Manila in a partially reconstructed form. A third vessel and portions of a fourth have been excavated and are stored in pieces on site. The National Museum is planning to reopen the site in order to record in detail the remaining ships, to trace the stylistic developments of these vessels, and to test the dating evidence. The earlier excavations indicated a range of dates covering the millennium before the Spanish colonisation. This paper is a description of the plans for the re-excavation of this prominent site. The location is very sensitive as vessels were declared ‘National Cultural Treasures’ by Presidential Decree in 1986.
]]> Conservation and Management]]> Empowerment and relevance in maritime and underwater cultural heritage programs in developing countries]]> Empowerment and relevance in maritime and underwater cultural heritage programs in developing countries]]>
The Maritime Archaeology Program at Flinders University was awarded funding from AusAID, the Australian federal government’s overseas aid organization, to bring 11 mid-career professionals involved in maritime archaeology from the Asia-Pacific region to Australia for a 6 week training program in early 2009. Mid-career professional training fits squarely into the philosophy of flexibility that underpins the teaching of maritime archaeology at Flinders University, as well as going some way to fulfilling social justice and equity aspirations. It is hoped that this model can be adopted and adapted by other countries and organizations in the Asia-Pacific region as the basis for effective collaboration and co-operation in the training and teaching of underwater archaeologists.
]]> Nautical (Ship and boat) Archaeology of South Asia]]>
In August 2008, Maritime Archaeologists attached to the Department of Archaeology and Central Cultural Fund (CCF) under the aegis of UNESCO launched an exploration in the area where this stone bench had been found. The location was around 30 meters under the sea at a place 4 km away from the fishery harbor in the coastal area of Godawaya village in the proximity of Ambalantota Town in the Hambantota District in Southern Province of Sri Lanka.]]> Case Study in Tulamben, Bali and in Taka Kappala, Selayar-South Sulawesi]]> Empowerment and relevance in maritime and underwater cultural heritage programs in developing countries]]> Pacific Islands region: Building UCH Capacity]]>
Despite this wealth of underwater cultural heritage (UCH) and a strong legislative base for the protection of archaeological sites, maritime archaeology in New Zealand is significantly underdeveloped with no effective program for the management or protection of UCH. As a consequence the public of New Zealand rarely views shipwrecks and other UCH as sites that need to be protected. This lack of perceived value results in limited funding being available for the investigation or management of maritime archaeological sites and as such developmental pressures, commercial salvage and fossicking continue to damage this non-renewable resource.

Although these are major challenges there are still considerable opportunities for underwater archaeology in New Zealand. Increased awareness of underwater cultural heritage can be achieved by engaging the public in various ways such as through Australian Institute of Maritime Archaeology/Nautical Archaeology Society (AIMA/NAS) training courses. In addition, the global nature of New Zealand’s maritime trade means that there is enormous scope for international collaboration between researchers at a diverse range of organisations around the world. Such actions would help provide the impetus for capacity building and the eventual establishment of an effective maritime archaeology program in New Zealand.
]]> Earthenware vessels of the Pandanan Shipwreck Site]]> The archaeological study of ships’ cargo, hull, and maritime infrastructure]]>
Beside these porcelain wares and stoneware jars, earthenware vessels were also found in the shipwreck sites. However, only a few scholars have paid attention to earthenware vessels found in shipwreck sites. One of whom is Amalia de la Torre (1993; 1996), she conducted the study of earthenware vessels found in the San Diego Shipwreck Site. Earthenware vessels found in the shipwreck sites are often not goods for trading or bartering but for daily utensils of the people on a voyage (de la Torre 1993; 1996).

The Pandanan Shipwreck Site is one of the rare shipwreck sites dated around the middle of the 15th century, its rarity is presumably because the Chinese imperial court totally banned private trading during this period (Sakuma 1989). Allison Diem (1996) has already conducted the study of glazed ceramics such as porcelain wares and stoneware jars found in the site and identified as wares produced in kiln sites in central Vietnam (Binh Dinh Province). However, she did not conduct the study of the unglazed earthenware vessels. Consequently there is no significant documentation of the earthenware vessels excavated in the Pandanan Shipwreck Site

The writer believes that earthenware vessels of the shipwreck sites are also very important artifacts which sometimes indicate daily lives of the people on board and the possible route of the ship and the trade, even though they are easily neglected. In this article, the writer will point out the similarity of the forms of globular pots with a spout excavated in the Pandanan Wreck Site, the Lena Shoal Wreck Site and the Calatagan Sites (the terrestrial sites) in Batangas Province (Tanaka 2005). On the basis of this similarity, the sailing route of the Pandanan ship will be discussed in this article.
]]> Nautical (Ship and boat) Archaeology of South Asia]]> Nautical (Ship and boat) Archaeology of South Asia]]>
Key words – Vedic literature, Sanskrit, Rigveda, Matsya yantra ]]> The archaeological study of ships’ cargo, hull, and maritime infrastructure]]> ]]>
In 2010, the Office for Cultural Heritage Preservation of Jambi conducted the first underwater archaeological survey at Belitung Shipwreck site in order to find out the conditions of the site after the salvaging operation. The result shows that the site is extremely ravaged, with unidentified ceramic fragments spread out in a radius of ± 20 square meters (m²). It seems clear that the ceramic fragments have been removed by the company then thrown back into the sea because considered non-commercial. Meanwhile, the structure of the actual shipwreck was not found. It was only a big hole with 6 m wide and 15 m long, which seems to be where the ship may have settled. The remnants are now just a few small wood fragments and a sizable chunk of wood, this maybe the mast-step. The Belitung Shipwreck is recognized worldwide as an extremely valuable find in Indonesian waters. Preservation efforts are needed to remind future generations that the shipwreck site very important for underwater archaeology in Indonesia. Some preservation efforts that can be done are legal protection, site rehabilitation, and establishing a maritime museum in Belitung Regency. The last of which efforts have initiated two years ago with the aim to preserve artifacts from Belitung shipwreck site and other underwater sites in Bangka Belitung Province.
]]> Empowerment and relevance in maritime and underwater cultural heritage programs in developing countries]]>
Building on that experience CIE has developed a vision on international cooperation that places MUCH in a broader perspective by including a platform of local and international stakeholders in all stages of the program. Through discussions about the relevance of the MUCH sites for the various stakeholders awareness can be raised for each other’s perspective on this type of heritage. Since the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) 2001 Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage (2001 Convention) explicitly promotes international cooperation and given the reality that many MUCH sites in Asia and Africa are linked with the past of European expansion, it is important to develop a vision on the role of this colonial heritage that is seen by some as ‘shared heritage’ within the national, regional and global context.

This paper evaluates the MUCH programs of the CIE in Asia and Africa and hopes with this to open the discussion on best practices in establishing a sustainable MUCH program on a local/regional level but promotes at the same time international cooperation to be inclusive for all types of MUCH.]]> Contexts of War and Conflict in Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage Research and Management]]>
The research revealed that the most of the vessels sunken in Palau were not genuine military vessels of Japanese Imperial Navy or Army but converted vessels originally built for non-combat purposes. These vessels were slow in speed and not well-equipped for combat activity. Most of them were destroyed by American aerial bombing on March 30th 1944. The evening before (March 29th) the main force of the Japanese Combined Fleet, including its flagship Musashi, retreated from Palau. It is clear that the vessels left in Palau were abandoned as a “third wheel” of the Combined Fleet. These abandoned-converted vessels include cargo carriers, tankers, whaling boats and fishing boats. This implies that Japanese troops were experiencing a difficult and desperate campaign at that time.]]> Empowerment and relevance in maritime and underwater cultural heritage programs in developing countries]]>
The Ministry of Culture and Tourism, which is the Indonesian government agency that handles the field of culture, now has approximately 80 staff divers. Only a fraction of that number have competence in the field of underwater archaeology, so it is necessary to improve the knowledge and skills, not only in the field of diving but also the ability to conduct surveys, mapping, data recording excavation, and conservation. In the last five years, efforts to increase human resources in underwater archaeology in Indonesia continue to be done through various education and training, whether conducted in Indonesia or abroad facilitated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), such as in Thailand, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines. The effort is certainly not optimal and systematic, so it is necessary to develop appropriate strategies both in quantity and quality. Indonesia needs an underwater archaeological development centre that will prepare a teaching module, instructor, certification and partnerships (networking), as well as supporting facilities and infrastructure. Through this institution we can expect human resources of underwater archaeologists to have the following abilities: (1) diving, (2) various regulations relating to underwater cultural heritage, (3) development of management plans, and recording and documenting sites, (4) procedures, methods, principles and ethics of underwater archaeology, (5) artifact conservation and storage, (6) traditional knowledge, and (7) publications and exhibitions. In the last five years we have implemented several training programs to further underwater archaeology in Indonesia where participants have acquired skills in diving, survey and conservation. More skills would greatly empower Indonesians in managing their underwater cultural heritage, particularly at an advanced underwater archaeology theory and practice level.
]]> Empowerment and relevance in maritime and underwater cultural heritage programs in developing countries]]>
In 2010 treasures were surfaced from a shipwreck on Cirebon waters. The treasure went to an international auction, committed by the government of Indonesia, and actively monitored by the media, activists, and the community in general. The government supported looting and auction could start a through advocacy for preserving and protecting underwater cultural heritage. Some clues include: prohibition for local fishermen to come near the area, permissions improperly issued for international divers around the shipwreck, a Presidential Decree issued against a higher law (Act No. 5 Year 1992 on Cultural Heritage), and the auction itself which disrespects the artifacts status as a cultural heritage.

This experience can become a precedent for advocating a better policy and enforcement toward preserving and protecting underwater cultural heritage, particularly in Indonesia.
]]> Preservation and conservation of wet archaeological materials and site management]]>
One of the main aims of the project is to try and develop a protocol for the rapid excavation, detailed recording and subsequent in-situ preservation of significant shipwrecks and their associated artefacts, at risk. This work will foster the development of a consistent national methodology for shipwreck and artefact storage and preservation underwater and assist in developing a strategy for the in-situ preservation of endangered historic shipwrecks. This work will also be critical to the future development of national, and possibly international, policy and technical guidelines for site managers of historic wrecks.

The project will run for a period of three years. During the field work components the investigators from the University of Western Australia (UWA), the Australian National University (ANU), Monash University and the Western Australian Museum (WAM) with support from research associates and practitioners from the ten partner organisations will operate from a jack-up barge located over the site including purpose built laboratories where they will excavate circa 25-50% of the Clarence site, conduct imaging (x-ray and optical) of recovered artefacts, conserve at-risk materials (where required) and rebury structural elements and associated artefacts using a combination of in-situ preservation techniques and initiate a long-term monitoring programme for the site. Excavation methodology will be overseen by Mark Staniforth, Peter Harvey (Heritage Victoria) and Peter Veth; conservation and in-situ preservation protocols, analyses and pre- and post-reburial monitoring by Ian MacLeod and Vicki Richards; imaging co-ordinated by Dudley Creigh (and colleagues) and Andrew Viduka; geoarchaeology and Geographical Information systems (GIS) by Tony Barham and Masters of Archaeological Science candidates.
]]> Nautical (Ship and boat) Archaeology of South Asia]]>
An inscription from Mottuppalli refers to the various kinds of ships which were anchored on the Andhra coast. The port had a yard for ship repair. This port was declared as a tax-free zone for the ships affected during storms. An inscription from Nagalapuram near Chittor in Andhrapradesh refers to a kind of ship knows as tongukappal in Tamil. In all probability it could be a big Chinese vessel, namely the jung. This paper discusses in details the nature of the ships and navigation in medieval south India]]>