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Institute of Field Archaeologists Maritime Affairs Group

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MARITIME AFFAIRS GROUP

MAG BULLETIN, AUTUMN 2006

In this issue:

Maritime Archaeology News, pages 2 - 6 Including BAA, S&G, EH, Storaa latest, MOD and more!

Article, page 6 - 7 Englands Historic Seascapes

Conference and Seminar Reports, pages 8 –10 MAG II/ ISBSA/EU Marine Strategy Workshop/ EAA/

Colloquium, Bruge

Forthcoming Conferences, pages 10 - 11 MAG Seminars, IFA Conference Maritime Session

Dates for Your Diary, page 12 – forthcoming conferences, seminars and noteworthy events


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NEWS FROM THE CHAIR The six months since the last Bulletin have been as busy as ever! The main issues on the MAG agenda can be summed up under the three ‘C’s – Consultations, Conferences and Congratulations. Consultations: Since the last Bulletin MAG has provided seven responses to consultations for submission by IFA. These have included some significant proposals such as the Marine Bill, Defras Promoting an integrated approach to Management of the Coastal Zone (ICZM) in England and the Archaeological Archive Forum Standard for the Creation, preparation, deposition and curation of archaeological archives. While the large number of consultations have provided significant work, it is encouraging to see so many which relate to improved integration of management in the marine zone and to the development of archaeological practice through standards and guidance. Conferences: Autumn 2006 has certainly been conference season! The number of short reports in the Bulletin demonstrates the developing breadth of marine research, management and dissemination. Our own Managing the Marine Cultural Heritage Conference was once again very successful and thanks must be extended to Paola Palma and Dave Parham for all their organisational efforts. Congratulations: There was a high level of representation of marine projects at the recent British Archaeological Awards. MAG sponsors the Keith Muckelroy Award which recognises publication in British Marine Archaeology. This years worthy winner was the Mary Rose Trust’s Before the Mast. Life and Death Aboard the Mary Rose, edited by Julie Gardiner with Michael J. Allen. The broad spectrum of news, projects and conferences reported on in this bulletin demonstrates a positive growth in marine archaeology. This is also reflected in a higher number of archaeologists working within the field, encouragingly there also continues to be a growth in IFA membership with figures now at 2,284 in October this year. It is important that MAG continues to promote marine issues within IFA and in the wider field of changing regulatory and management frameworks. There are a number of current MAG initiatives which are promoting continuing professional development – the forthcoming Maritime Archives Seminar, the draft Standard and Guidance for Nautical Recording and Reconstruction and the Maritime Session at the IFA conference 2007. It is hoped that these events and initiatives will promote discussion and debate to help further enhance our professional skills and capacity. Julie Satchell

MARITIME SUCCESS AT THE BRITISH ARCHAEOLOGY AWARDS The awards ceremony for this years British Archaeological Awards was held at the Custard Factory in Birmingham on the 6th November. MAG supports the Keith Muckleroy Award which recognises published work on British Marine Archaeology. This years Keith Muckleroy Award had an impressive line up those receiving recognition: WINNER: Before the Mast. Life and Death Aboard the Mary Rose, edited by Julie Gardiner with Michael J. Allen (The Mary Rose Trust, Portsmouth, 2005). HIGHLY COMMENDED: Submarine Prehistoric Archaeology of the North Sea. Research Priorities in collaboration with Industry, edited by N C Fleming (CBA Research Report 141, published by CBA and English Heritage, 2004). The Dover Bronze Age Boat, edited by Peter Clark (English Heritage, 2004) RUNNERS UP: The Dover Bronze-Age Boat in Context. Society and Water Transport in Prehistoric Europe, edited by Peter Clark (Oxbow, 2004)


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Monitoring of Shipwreck Sites, by Paola Palma (International Journal of Nautical Archaeology 34:2 (2005), 323-31) The Adelaar: a Dutch East-Indiaman Wrecked in 1728 off Barra, Outer Hebrides, Scotland, by Colin J. Martin (International Journal of Nautical Archaeology 34.2 (2005),179-210) Maritime Archaeology was not only confined to this award, it featured in: THE HERITAGE IN BRITAIN AWARD - RUNNER UP: The Hampshire & Wight Trust for Maritime Archaeology: Alum Bay Dive Trail Initiative THE SCHOLARLY PUBLICATION AWARD - RUNNER UP: Sutton Hoo. A Seventh-Century princely burial ground and its context by Martin Carver (British Museum) Congratulations to all those receiving awards and nominations. To find out more about the BAA visit: http://www.britarch.ac.uk/awards/index.html

PROGRESS ON S&G FOR NAUTICAL RECORDING & RECONSTRUCTION IFA MAG have been working to progress Standards and Guidance in the Marine Field. The latest initiative is the draft Standard and Guidance for ‘Nautical Archaeological Recording and Reconstruction’. This document was drafted by Douglas McElvogue and has been released for consultation to IFA members.. The IFA consultation process is being managed by Kate Geary. The draft S&G will now be amended in response to comments received from IFA members. The document will then be released for wider stakeholder comment prior to finalisation. It is intended to launch the new Standard and Guidance document at the Maritime Session at the IFA conference 2 – 4 April 2007, Reading.

STORAA APPEAL GOES ALL THE WAY The Storaa appeal was heard by 4 judges who have ruled that Storaa was in military service when it sank. With the Appeal Court decision finding in favor of the defendants. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) and the defendants had several options: for the MOD and defendants to accept the judgment and protect Storaa, or for the MOD or the defendants to take this to the ultimate court of appeal, the House of Lords. The MOD has asked the Court of Appeal for permission to take the case to the House of Lords. This has been refused by the Master of the Rolls, so it is expect the MOD will probably petition the Lords directly.

Despite the Appeal Courts Judgment there are still a number of unresolved issues. These include the question of the present ownership of the military vehicles onboard (which has not been established), what should be done with the exposed human remains, and how the Storaa should be protected. Although deemed to be in military service the MOD would have to be persuaded to protect Storaa according to the established criteria used for warships (Protection of Military Remains Act). The implication for the archaeological profession is that a number of new sites might be deemed worthy of protection under the Protection of Military Remains Act. Any further protection will most probably be heard case by case, with no blanket ban. Any case will have to establish ownership of the wreck, the identity of the vessel and possibly if there are any human remains still in situ, though this need not be relevant. D. McElvogue Image: Diver Inspects the bow of the Storaa (D. McElvogue)


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ODYSSEY CLAIMS SHIPWRECK IN ENGLISH CHANNEL An online article of the 11 Oct in the St Petersburg Times titled ‘Odyssey Claims Sunken Ship’ details news that a US Federal judge recommended granting Odyssey Marine Exploration Inc. exclusive rights to a shipwreck off the British coast. The article states that the wreck is of a 17th century merchant ship off the southwest of England. The article details that “Odyssey surveyed the wreck in the summer with a remote-controlled submarine about 1,000 feet below the surface. A camera detected part of a wooden hulk, cannon and other metal objects. The site lies in international waters about 40 miles off Land's End, near a section of the English Channel known as a shipping graveyard. Given the competitive nature of its business, Odyssey would not disclose the ship's name, national origin or prospective worth of the cargo. Since the ship is more than 300 years old, it's unlikely the heirs of the original owners will turn up.” For full article see: http://www.sptimes.com/2006/10/11/Business/Odyssey_claims_sunken.shtml

MOD PROTECTS MORE VESSELS The MOD has designated a further 16 vessels under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986. This brings the total number of vessels designated to 50. New Controlled Site: Controlled Site: UB81, Hampshire. New Protected Places: HMS Acheron, Hampshire; HMS Swordfish, Hampshire; HMS Blackwood, Dorset; HMS Boadicea, Dorset; HMS M2, Dorset; HMS M1, South Devon; HMS Warwick, North Cornwall; UB65, North Cornwall; HMS Vandal, West Scotland; HMS Bullen, Cape Wrath; HMS K4, East Scotland; HMS K17, East Scotland; HMS Exmoor, Lowestoft; HMS Umpire, North Sea; HMS Vortigern, North Sea. The pdf file of the Government’s Statutory Instrument can be found at: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2006/uksi_20062616_en.pdf

MANAGING THE MARINE CULTURAL HERTIAGE PUBLISHED AS CBA RESEARCH REPORT

The proceedings from the first MAG Conference held in September 2004 are being published as a CBA Research Report ‘Managing the Marine Cultural Heritage: Defining, accessing and managing the resource’. The volume has been edited by J Satchell and P Palma and the publication has been generously funded by English Heritage. Available early in 2007, there is a special pre-publication offer available. Extract from volume publicity material: “Recent decades have witnessed an expansion of archaeological activity under water and in the coastal zone. There has also been a realisation of the threats to this material from human and natural action. This period of relatively rapid change has increased pressure on governments, heritage groups and agencies, coastal-zone managers, and sea users to formulate approaches to managing the maritime cultural heritage. This volume presents a range of international initiatives that include examples of management responses to regional, national, and international situations. It also discusses the principal challenges facing maritime archaeology, which have relevance not just in the UK but across the globe.” CBA Research Report 153, ISBN 1 902771 68 0, 250pp, March 2007, Price £25 SPECIAL PRE-PUBLICATION OFFER: £18.75 (25% discount) before 31 March 2007


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SUMMARY OF ENGLISH HERITAGE’S CURRENT WORK As readers know, wreck sites may contain the remains of vessels, their fittings, armaments, cargo and other associated objects or deposits and they merit legal protection if they contribute significantly to our understanding of our maritime past. The Protection of Wrecks Act (1973) allows the UK Government to designate an important wreck site to prevent uncontrolled disturbance and heritage agencies to develop research, education and access initiatives to raise awareness of, and encourage involvement in, wreck sites. The Designated Wrecks in England comprise remains ranging from Late Bronze Age cargoes to early submarines. The English Heritage Maritime Archaeology Team advises the Government on designations, manages the licensing scheme that enable access to English sites, and facilitates the Government’s Advisory Committee for Historic Wreck Sites (ACHWS). In addition, English Heritage has commissioned specific pieces of work on several Protected Wreck sites that have included the preparation of publication text for the Studland Bay and Langdon Bay, Moor Sand and Erme Ingot sites. We are also turning our attention towards a more ecosystem-based approach to the general management of the sites through projects such as the Royal Anne Galley Marine Environmental Assessment and the (completed) Stabilisation Trials on HMS Colossus. These specific projects have provided guidance on the availability of environmental information and methodologies that we can seek to apply where appropriate. We have also commenced production of a set of Conservation Guidelines aimed specifically at the licensed recovery of material from protected wreck sites while smaller initiatives included the provision of a refurbished buoy for Studland Bay, provision of a new buoy for the Holland No. 5 submarine and commencing to undertake a security copy of the Invincible archive. We will also be drafting Management Plans for three sites which we believe are at risk. English Heritage currently has two divers with HSE approved qualifications and we are therefore able to dive with the Government’s contractor for Archaeological Services in relation to the Protection of Wrecks Act (1973) and Licensee groups where appropriate, while recent outreach initiatives include a paper given at the recent New Light on Old Shipwrecks seminar hosted by the Dorset Coast Forum and DCC and participation in this years’ National Archaeology Week. Another area of responsibility that English Heritage is currently undertaking is the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund (ALSF). The ALSF was introduced by the UK Government as a two-year pilot scheme in April 2002 to provide funds to help address the environmental costs of aggregate extraction. English Heritage, the Government’s advisor on all aspects of the historic environment in England, is a major distributor of the fund and supports projects that promote environmentally friendly extraction and transport and reduces the local effects of aggregate extraction. The scheme coincided with the transfer of responsibilities for the historic environment of England’s Territorial seabed to English Heritage. Therefore, marine projects were targeted to meet both the ALSF priorities and the strategic agenda for England’s maritime archaeology. In addition, English Heritage had worked in partnership with industry to produce a guidance note on the effects of marine aggregate dredging on marine archaeology. Marine Aggregate Dredging and the Historic Environment: Guidance Note (BMAPA & English Heritage, 2003) contains a comprehensive review of the issues relating to aggregate extraction and provides advice and procedural information relating to the offshore development process. In April 2004, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) announced an extension to the ALSF pilot for the following three years. Maritime projects were, and are, administrated separately from terrestrial, and discretionary funds for marine are shared between English Heritage, English Nature and the DEFRA Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS). An extension of this scheme is currently under consideration and DEFRA will notify the decision by the end of the year. English Heritage has supported a range of timely initiatives, providing new insights into mitigation, assessment, evaluation and potential of the marine historic environment through remote survey and field investigation in England’s Territorial Waters. For example, some of our current ALSF projects are Wrecks on the Seabed which is assisting in the development of guidance. This guidance will improve the decision-making involved in the regulation of dredging for sand and gravel through the incremental decision-orientated investigation of wrecks sites. This project is currently investigating the use of remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to examine deeper sites that divers would not normally be able to reach, whilst undertaking a cost-benefit analysis. Seabed Prehistory is enabling a better environmental assessment of prehistoric archaeological heritage of marine aggregate deposits using geophysical surveys. Rapid Archaeological Site Surveying analyses the potential of geophysical and remote survey equipment to allow rapid detailed investigation of submerged archaeological sites and their immediate


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surroundings. Historic Seascapes aims to adapt the methodology of Historic Landscape Characterisation to England’s intertidal and marine zones to create better planning and management tools. Navigational Hazards assesses the suitability of historical and scientific data relating to specific aspects of the marine historic environment surrounding navigational hazards for use in the environmental assessments of marine aggregate dredging proposals. New research into marine evaluation and the development of mitigation techniques is being undertaken through 3D Seismics as a Source for Mitigation Mapping of the Late Pleistocene and Holocene Depositional Systems of the southern North Sea. The exploitation of the Southern North Sea for energy and mineral resources remains a strategic goal for the UK and without adequate data this unique ‘seascape’ is under threat. Hence, this project seeks to introduce aggregates companies to the potential of extensive 3D seismic technologies as a source of data; to promote the use of this data to map the environmental and archaeological potential of the Southern North Sea; and to provide a model of survival potential for these deposits that can be used by the aggregate industry and curatorial groups for management purposes. These methodologies are therefore contributing to better techniques and methodologies to predict, survey, evaluate, monitor and mitigate the impact of dredging on the historic environment. These projects will be completed in March 2007. Consequently, the relevance of the ALSF scheme is highlighted through the wide variety of projects being undertaken and a demonstration of how these are directly reducing the impact of aggregate extraction on the historic environment. More importantly, it shows that collaboration between industry, government agencies and academic institutions is possible and beneficial, contributing to a sustainable management of the historic environment for present and future generations. Mark Dunkley and Vir Dellino-Musgrave Maritime Archaeologists, English Heritage www.english-heritage.org.uk

SUSPECTED WRECK THEFT

According to the Orkney News the police are making inquiries after recovering an item believing to have been stolen from the SMS Brummer, one of the wrecks of the German High Seas Fleet in Scapa Flow. Kirkwall Sergeant Jim Pryde has confirmed that they and Historic Scotland are involved in an investigation. Historic Scotland scheduled these wrecks as ancient monuments in 2001.

ENGLAND’S HISTORIC SEASCAPES PROGRAMME England’s Historic Seascapes is a programme of pilot projects developing a methodology for mapping the historic character of England’s coastal and marine environment. The programme builds on the Historic Landscape Characterisation (HLC) programme whose coverage now extends across most of England’s land area. Pressures on our coast and seas are increasing rapidly in number and scale. Our ability to assess and respond to their impact on the historic environment currently relies largely on mapped locations of specific coastal or submerged features and artefact findspots, of known wrecks or of casualties. Such locational point-data has and will always prove invaluable in minimising impacts on the rare or otherwise special, but they inevitably focus on the specific, the atypical and the known. They are less effective at conveying those aspects which characterise the present development at a landscape scale. They do not acknowledge the value of information from our limited data-source locations in understanding the processes operating in the wider historic environment. The imminent radical changes to management and development control structures for the marine environment, with the Marine Bill committed to introducing a system of marine spatial planning, make it vital that we complement our point-data records of the special with area-based representations of the typical to enable effective historic environment inputs to the new planning system. Spatial planning requires interoperable spatial data. Considerable effort has been expended in recent years to bring marine natural environment databases into area-based formats using GIS technology. This partly mirrors developments on land but added stimulus came from the UK Govt commitment to marine spatial planning, with the Marine Data Information Partnership (MDIP) now working to secure the necessary levels of interoperability. In deploying the principles of HLC to our coastal


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and marine zones, England’s Historic Seascapes seeks to ensure the historic environment can play a full, positive role alongside the marine natural environment in these important developments. While retaining the principles of HLC as established on land, this extension of characterisation involves many significant challenges. The scale of three-dimensionality of human activity, its impacts and material expressions in

the marine historic environment is generally far greater than on land, requiring novel approaches and data structures to accommodate it. The marine zone lacks the comprehensive network of mapped fixed boundaries in which historic character can be expressed on land so alternative means are needed for defining and delimiting areas of shared character. On land, we perceive landscapes primarily visually and land HLC derives largely from the character of the surface veneer of the terrestrial landscape. But how do we perceive the marine historic environment at landscape scale and what are the relevant seascapes to characterise to inform most effectively our future forward planning, development control and research needs? Landscape-scale perceptions of the marine historic environment are not primarily visual but tend to be constructs derived from a range of data sources with that greater three-dimensional expression noted above, not merely a ‘surface veneer’ of the sea-floor. These and many other challenges form tasks being overcome in the methodology being developed, trialled and refined through this programme’s pilot projects. Image: The Liverpool Bay pilot: sub-character mapping ©English Heritage & Wessex Archaeology

The initial Seascapes project was undertaken by Wessex Archaeology in Liverpool Bay, to the limit of the UK Territorial Sea. Completed in March 2006, this gave a good base for testing and developing the method in four further areas reflecting a broader range of historic and management complexities. With funding from the ALSF, the projects’ areas were selected also to inform our responses to mineral aggregates extraction now or in the future. The current pilot projects run for one year from March 2006 and extend to the limit of UK Controlled Waters from the following coastal extents (with their contractors): • The Solent and waters off the Isle of Wight (Hampshire & Wight Trust for Maritime Archaeology,

Bournemouth University and Southampton University) • Southwold to Clacton (Oxford Archaeology) • Withernsea to Skegness (Museum of London Archaeology Service) • Scarborough to Hartlepool (Cornwall Historic Environment Service) England’s Historic Seascapes also has an awareness-raising role to play about the breadth of the marine historic environment among planners and curatorial interests, but particularly among the wider public. Characterisation treats the historic environment as a dimension permeating the whole environment: it gives complete coverage across its project area and encompasses the impact of human activity right up to the present. This fosters a wider field of view and relevance for the coastal and marine historic environment than has perhaps traditionally been adopted. As on land, human cultural activity has produced widespread material and ecological impact, direct and indirect, on deposits, the topography and ecological communities along our coasts and in the marine zone. From the occupation of land later submerged by post-glacial sea level rise, these impacts have developed through millennia of coastal and maritime activity serving a vast range of purposes, or from material transported into our seas from land-based activity. Many coastal and marine ecological communities are cultural artefacts in that their environmental conditions are defined by human activity, whether by modification of key parts of the food chain through fishing, from dredging, from silts brought down into our estuaries and coastal waters due to agricultural activity or mineral extraction, or from our effects on sea-water temperature and chemistry. The broad coverage and clear connection of the past with the present gives these characterisations a point of contact, a relevance, to all who may be familiar with portions of our coastline or who use the sea. Making that connection, especially with respect to our marine heritage, among coastal users and communities has important implications both for the way in which we treat the sea and for the public accountability of future marine spatial planning. For more information on characterisation, including the England’s Historic Seascapes Programme, see: www.englishAttention:-heritage.org.uk/characterisation Further information on the initial Seascapes pilot project can be found on: http://www.wessexarch.co.uk/projects/marine/eh/seascapes/ Dave Hooley, English Heritage Characterisation Team. Sept. 2006


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Managing the Marine Cultural Heritage II: Significance MAG held the second in a series of conferences discussing the Marine Cultural Heritage on the 27th and 28th of September in Portsmouth’s historic dockyard. The focus this year was on significance, this was split into three sessions to debate how to identify, manage and present the significance of marine cultural heritage. A wide variety of speakers from a range of different disciplines gave a series of well received papers contributing significantly to the ongoing debate in this country regarding the forthcoming changes to legislation which will undoubtedly affect how marine cultural heritage is regarded and managed in the U.K. when the bills from Defra and DCMS are actually enacted sometime from 2010. Comments from English Heritage’s Ian Oxley and Lizzie West from DCMS emphasize that the U.K.’s favoured option is for specific protection rather than blanket protection after 75/100 years as favoured by countries such as Canada, South Africa and Australia whose cultural heritage protection schemes were also highlighted at this conference.

The Line up of speakers had a truly international flavour with Marnix Pieters described the situation in Belgium, John Gribble that in South Africa, I Brunenko that in Croatia and L.N Santhakumaran that in India. Conference delegates were in agreement of the need to assess and protect the marine cultural heritage of submerged landscapes a debate raised with some conviction by Nic Fleming. Nic stressed how much this is still undervalued by present day cultural heritage resource managers despite increasing evidence that there is a wealth of evidence of submerged landscapes surviving in well preserved conditions. Other lectures like one given by Ole Varmer of NOAA outlined the

preferred strategy for dealing with sites in international waters. NOAA’s strategy is to manage the activity of USA flagged vessels near the site of the RMS Titanic in cooperation with the governments of France and the UK. Although such agreements do not restrict governments with deep submersible technology who have not signed up to such understanding from accessing such a site the control over flagged vessels this was generally regarded as the most practical way forward. In terms of presenting there were talks from ADUS and on the ArchaeoMar project in southern Italy. The ArchaeoMar project involves a web based, GIS points system a slightly different approach from the polygonal based GIS system currently being piloted in English Heritage’s Historic Seascapes project. The ADUS talk by Martin Dean showcased the advances in multi-beam sonar systems. Apart from being ideal for presenting sites such as the Royal Oak to the public it is also possible to record, and monitor complex sites like the Stirling Castle within it’s wider environment without having to resort to diver survey. Dave Parham discussed the unique international significance of the UK’s archaeological record and demonstrated the how the majority of the known record consists of relatively modern sites many of which are equally as significant as their older contemporaries. Mark Staniforth of Flinders Museum Australia highlighted more mundane presentational matters showcasing how

important it is to standardise historic trails in terms of content and even fonts! Otherwise we run the risk of not sufficiently engaging the public who tend to be our biggest supporters when they have been sufficiently informed. Ian Oxley supplied the closing comments thanking MAG for running such conferences and seminars which are contributing to the debate and discussion for the forthcoming legislation. English Heritage stressed their support for such conferences which was invaluable for this conference and will hopefully lead to a publication of the second Managing the Marine Cultural Heritage conference! Thanks to the MAG committee and the co-organisers Paola Palma and Dave Parham for an enjoyable and well organised event

Mark Littlewood, MAG committee


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ISBSA 11, Mainz, Germany The eleventh International Symposium on Boat and Ship Archaeology conference was held in Mainz, Germany. Although seemingly a strange place to have a maritime archaeology conference, Mainz in fact has strong links with all things maritime. The town lies at the junction of the Main and Rhine rivers which form one of the biggest commercial waterways in Europe. During the Roman period the town was an important centre and excavations have unearthed the remains of several Roman war galleys. These are displayed and reconstructed in the impressive Museum für Antike Schiffahrt (Museum of Ancient Navigation) which was also responsible for the excellent organisation of ISBSA 11. The conference itself ran over 5 days between the 25th and 29th of September in the luxurious setting of the rooms of the Kurfürstliches Schloss zu Mainz, the Baroque Palace of the local sovereigns which houses the town’s conference centre. The program began with a series of reports detailing new and important archaeological finds from different areas and updates on existing projects and research. These included the Newport Ship, logboat finds in Croatia and the discovery of Pharaonic ship timbers at Mersa Gawasis on the Egyptian Red Sea. The overall theme of the conference was ‘Between the Seas – Transfer and Exchange in Nautical Technology’ and the remainder of the papers presented and discussed reflected this. As well as addressing and reporting the physical remains of ships and boats preserved underwater or buried on land, the conference also attempted to question some of the theoretical issues which surround the subject of nautical/maritime technology and its exchange and development within and between different cultures. As well as sites from Europe and the shores of the Mediterranean, the maritime cultures of the Indian Ocean and the Indian subcontinent also came under discussion. This served to emphasise the wide corpus of evidence which maritime archaeologists can draw upon and which was reflected in a well organised, well attended and very successful conference. Julian Whitewright, Southampton University

To Sea or Not to Sea, Colloquium, Bruge ‘To Sea or Not to Sea’ was the 2nd international colloquium on the maritime and fluvial archaeology in the southern North Sea area, it was held on the 21 – 23 September 2006. In July 2003 the former Institute for the Archaeological Heritage (IAP), now the Flemish Heritage Institute (VIOE), was asked to increase its focus on maritime archaeology and develop adequate strategies for the study, communication and management of this valuable heritage. Until now maritime archaeology hadn't been a real priority in Belgium. The colloquium aimed to contribute substantially to the development of these strategies and to foster collaboration in maritime archaeology in the southern North Sea. The colloquium concentrated on four themes related to maritime and fluvial archaeology: research, conservation, communication and legislation. On behalf of English Heritage, Ian Oxley gave a presentation on maritime archaeology legislation in England. Ian Oxley, English Heritage

EU Marine Strategy Stakeholder Workshop Defra hosted a workshop for UK stakeholders involved in the EU’s Marine Strategy and Directive on 1st Sept 06. This served to update stakeholders on progress with the Strategy, inform on lastest European Parliament thinking and discuss practical implication of the Directive. A number of ‘break-out’ groups were the main focus of activity and brought out a number of key issues, notably around the cardinal question of how Good Environmental Status (GES) could and should be defined and applied, including at which level. This would likewise affect the whole question of costs and benefits, exemptions, and interactions with other Community legislation and institutions. Defra concluded by saying that they would report to EU colleagues on the value of the workshop and that they would set up a regular process on informing stakeholders on the state of play on the discussions on the Directive. Presentations were provided from: Diana Linskey, Head of Marine Environment Division who introduced and chaired the workshop, from Robert Canning, Head of the Defra team responsible for negotiating the EU Marine Directive on where we had got in the discussions in Brussels and the next steps to be taken; from Stuart Rogers of CEFAS on how the UK was going about defining GES; from Ali Champion of WWF-UK, giving an environmental organisation’s perspective; and from Mick Borwell of the UK’s Offshore Operators Association, giving a business perspective. Copies of these presentations are attached. Defra Marine Environment Division


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Maritime Archaeology at the EAA Conference Between 19-24th September over 1000 delegates from across the world congregated in Krakow, Poland, for the 12th Annual Conference of the European Association of Archaeologists. Included in the conference was a day-long session on maritime archaeology, organised by Andrzej Pydyn (University of Torun, Poland), and Joe Flatman (University College London, UK). The session was on the theme of ‘Current Research and Education in Underwater and Maritime Archaeology’. Thirteen speakers from across Europe, the US and Australia considered how education and research into maritime and underwater archaeology can be interlinked across boundaries, and how such boundaries – real and imagined, institutional, environmental, political, legislative or other – can be dissolved. The session began with a keynote presentation by Tim Runyan (East Carolina University, USA) on ‘Partnerships in Nautical Archaeology: Case Studies from North Carolina and Alaska’, outlining the recent collaboration of ECU with a series of industry and government partners. Such collaboration was a theme returned to by several other speakers, including Marek Jasinski (Norwegian University of Science and Technology) and Mark Staniforth (Flinders University, Australia), both of whom emphasized the need for maritime archaeology students to gain ‘real world’ experience through collaborative projects with future employers. Speakers came from a diverse array of locations and backgrounds, including Colin Breen (University of Ulster, Northern Ireland) discussing the ethics of recent fieldwork by UU off the coast of East Africa, Timm Weski (Bayerisches Landesamt für Denkmalpfleg, Germany) looking back to a decade of teaching ship archaeology in Germany, and Della Scott-Ireton (Florida Public Archaeology Network) discussing recent initiatives in underwater preserves, education and training programs, and public archaeology across Florida. The session concluded with a presentation from Mark Beattie-Edwards (Nautical Archaeology Society, UK) on the wide range of training initiatives pioneered by the NAS over the last few years. It is the intention of the organisers to publish an edited book of proceedings from the session, in which it is hoped to include additional contributions not made on the day. If you would be interested in submitting a paper for publication, please contact Andrzej or Joe by email ([email protected] or [email protected]). The deadline for submission of papers for publication is December 31st 2006. Pdfs of all the papers presented, together with a full session timetable and contact details of presenters, are available on the UCL Institute of Archaeology website at: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/archaeology/maritime/index.htm Joe Flatman Institute of Archaeology, University College London

MAG SEMINARS In response areas of concern for Standards and Guidance in maritime archaeology MAG have organised two targeted seminars to examine specific issues and promote continuing professional development. Maritime Archaeological Archives: In Policy and Practice: 5th December 2006 Archaeological archives are a nationally important cultural resource. The objects, drawings, photographs, digital data and documentation generated by archaeological projects are part of our shared heritage, the physical remains of our past. Whilst this is acknowledged for ‘terrestrial’ sites, there is no clear system for the preparation, deposition and curation of maritime archaeological archives and a lack of clarity over the roles and responsibilities of the various museum, archive and government bodies. Maritime archives remain in private hands, are split between receiving bodies or worse, sold, often prior to proper analysis and interpretation.


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Maritime archaeological archives are falling through a gap in policy and practice and there is no coherent long-term strategy to address this problem. As more sites are discovered with increased development and greater awareness of the marine historic environment, the problem will only become more acute. It is vital that the archaeological, heritage, curatorial and museums professions engage in this debate now. The IFA MAG seminar will therefore be a working seminar aiming to: • Identify all the issues; • Clarify the current policy of the key groups and organisations involved; • Raise understanding of the principle issues among the disparate stakeholder groups and organisations; • Identify and articulate the gaps in policy and practice; • And, generate a long-term strategy to address these gaps. In addition, the discussion, recommendations and information shared at the seminar will be reported in order to feed into initiatives on Standards and Guidance. Due to the number of organisations involved with archaeological archives, curation and deposition spaces at this seminar are limited. If you would like to register your interest to receive any follow up information produced please contact Jesse Ransley at [email protected]. Informing marine designation: Sourcing field evaluation of marine historic assets expertise: 8th February 2007

Building on the Institute of Field Archaeologist’s 2004 report on Identifying Skills Needs in Maritime Archaeology that noted that ‘a consistent management…policy is needed from the heritage bodies’, MAG recognises the need to debate the ways in which field advice on designation could be enabled and financially supported in the UK in the future. Accordingly, MAG is seeking to examine how the sector considers the delivery of competent advice is best supplied to the home heritage agencies to inform appropriate Ministerial decisions.

Procurement of professional competence will be a key strategic issue for the sector in this debate that relates directly to education and training opportunities, as more professional maritime archaeologists are needed.

All views are welcome. Please direct your views to Mark Dunkley [email protected]

IFA CONFERENCE - MARITIME SESSION

Three sheets to the wind? National strategies for ship and boat remains The growing frequency of the discovery of ship and boat remains around the UK reflects increasing pressures on the marine environment through development and better recognition of the nature and importance of nautical remains. To date the approach to the recovery, research, analysis and presentation of such finds has often been in response to chance discoveries and rescue situations. Consequently the development of a national strategy or research agenda for nautical remains has not yet been comprehensively debated. This session seeks to present examples of nautical recording and research to stimulate debate on fundamental questions of what we are recording, why and how. Additionally the presentation of the wealth of British ship and boat remains at this session will set the scene for the launch of the new IFA ‘Nautical Archaeological Recording and Reconstruction Standard and Guidance Notes’. For further details of the IFA conference visit: http://www.archaeologists.net/modules/icontent/index.php?page=18 Or email Julie Satchell [email protected]


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Conferences, Seminars and Events!

10-13th - conference on Historical and Underwater Archaeology. Williamsburg, Virginia, USA. For the 40th anniversary of SHA and the 400th of the founding of Jamestown. Entitled "Old World/New World: Culture in Transformation", the central theme is the historical archaeology of Jamestown in the context of the emerging 16th and 17th century Atlantic World. Papers. For more information contact Jackie Kerper at SHA, 15245 Shady Grove Road, Suite 130, Rockville, MD 20850, USA, email [email protected], web www.sha.org.

24-26th - CAA UK 2007Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology UK Chapter. Tudor Merchants Hall, Southampton city centre. Maritime Archaeology Session. For more information contact the organisers, email [email protected], web www.caauk.org. The cost is £20.

3rd -25th - International Shipwreck conference: Shipwrecks, Diving and Marine Archaeology. Robbins Conference Centre, University of Plymouth 9am - 6pm. Sunday visit to a local attraction. Web www.threeh.demon.co.uk/conference/

8-11th – Wrecks: expressive testimonies of ancient ship catastrophes. Recent and ongoing archaeological research on shipwrecks from the 13th century B.C. to the 16th century A.D. in European waters. 'Römisch-GermanischesMuseum', Cologne. Web www.deguwa.org/en/conferences/index.html

2-4th - IFA Annual Conference, University of Reading. Maritime session entitled Three sheets to the wind? National strategies for ship and boat remains 10 - 12th - IKUWA3, the 3rd International Congress on Underwater Archaeology, organised by the NAS, UCL, and IFA and supported by English Heritage will focus on the practice of archaeology underwater around the world. Institute if Archaeology, UCL, London. For more details see: www.ikuwa3.com

COPY DATES FOR MAG BULLETIN:

Spring 2007 deadline: 30th March 2007 Email any articles, news or event information to Mark Littlewood [email protected]

Remember! We encourage members to submit 'maritime' flavoured articles to 'The Archaeologist' to help increase the profile within the wider profession.

Please feel free to copy and distribute this Bulletin to your organisation


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