Journal of Maritime Archaeology最新文献

The study of the origin of underwater artefacts is a crucial and relevant topic to be highlighted, especially in the Southeast Asia Region, due to the active trading route during the Age of Sail. In the present study, we aim to discover the ship type and sailing route of the Bidong shipwreck using both relative and absolute analysis. The team analysed the wood samples collected at the Bidong shipwreck site during the second excavation phase. The analysis of wood anatomy and Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) was performed on five wood fragments at the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM). Based on the conducted analyses, two types of trees were identified in the construction of Bidong shipwrecks, namely Giam (Hopea spp.) and Meranti Temak Nipis (Shorea roxburghii). Both types of trees are commonly discovered in tropical climate regimes and the area of the Malay Archipelago. In addition, the team also compared the selected artefacts from the first phase of excavation with some published references of Southeast Asian Ceramic and live records from National Maritime Museums, Chanthaburi, and Southeast Asian Ceramic Museum, Bangkok University, Thailand. Significantly, the comparison analysis suggests that the artefacts rescued from the Bidong shipwreck were Thai ceramics of the Maenam Noi (Singburi) and Si Satchanalai (Sawankhalok) types. The result from these studies suggests that the Bidong shipwreck stopped loading Siamese ceramics or even repairing in Southeast Asia and sailing along the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia for some destination in the sixteenth century during the Age of Monsoonal Civilisation.

This article represents the first historical study of the port site of Genoa Fortress located on the coast of the city of Annaba (عنابة) in Algeria. In it, we sought to highlight this coastal maritime cultural heritage and introduce it by showcasing its role, commercial activity, and the events that the port experienced during various historical periods, along with the sequence and origin of its name over these periods. We also provided a brief historical overview of the city of Annaba (عنابة). Additionally, we explored its relationship with ports on other shores of the Mediterranean Sea, particularly Genoa in Italy, by extracting ideal Genoese maritime routes between Genoa and Annaba (عنابة), utilizing various new methodologies. Therefore, our main objective in this study was to highlight new and significant historical aspects of the Algerian city of Annaba (عنابة), especially during the Middle Ages, through the intensive application of various methodologies, including Google Earth Pro 2023 and geographic information systems. This aimed to provide a comprehensive and clear understanding of how sailors, in general, and Genoese sailors, in particular, selected ideal maritime routes during ancient and medieval historical periods (The maritime route between the port of Genoa in Annaba (عنابة) and the port of Genoa in Genoa as a case study.).

In 2022 and 2023, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) partnered with Marine Imaging Technologies to conduct remote sensing survey operations in Guam to search for and possibly confirm the locations of four separate B-29 Superfortress wreck sites. The reported locations for these sites are in challenging environments; high seas, fast currents, and strong winds pose hazardous conditions for survey teams and equipment. Additionally, the bathymetry of the areas consists of dynamic changes in depths with sudden valleys, rises, and seamounts, mirroring the rocky coastline which poses threats to successful, strategic surveying and quality results. Marine Imaging Technologies worked with Eastern Search and Survey to develop an innovative survey system that allowed flexibility and pliability for small boat, deeper water, and limited crew operations. This paper discusses the goals, challenges, and results of this project and looks at ways forward on similar missions partnering with DPAA to account for MIA service members.

One of the great recent discoveries in maritime archaeology was the discovery, in 2015, of a hitherto unknown shipyard in the Cilicia Region. Approximately 294 slipways/shipsheds were found on Dana Island (Pitusu-Pityoussa) in eastern Rough Cilicia (Cilicia Trachea), on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. Recent studies carried out in 2023 on the island have added to our knowledge of the techniques of landing and servicing vessels, while also uncovering an additional small slipway at this location. Some of the rock-cut slipways for the ships have modestly sized rock-cut constructions behind or between them, and these have been interpreted as service areas for the tenders to the mother ships. These features may indicate that maintenance of both the ship and tender was carried out simultaneously. The rock-cut slipways on Dana Island have different characteristics and range considerably in type and size, implying the use of different slipping techniques at various periods. A number of these features are present on other known ancient slipways in the Mediterranean, such as Rhtymna, Eulimna and Matalon (Crete), Tell Dor (Israel), and Apollonia (Cyrenaica-Libya).

This article seeks to complement efforts to summarize information on the exceptional natural significance of the Emperor Seamounts. The human history of the Emperor Seamounts is culturally diverse and spans thousands of years. This ranges from indigenous cultures to the period of European colonial exploration and expansion to the rise of the modern global economy and its impact on the area through the hunting of marine mammals, fishing, and the transportation of commodities across these remote waters on ships. Some of these vessels were wrecked or disappeared, and may rest on the seabed of the Emperor Seamounts. Understanding this human history is critical in approaching the assessment, ongoing study, public outreach and management of this remote region, which has been highlighted as one of the most important areas beyond national jurisdiction to protect globally.

During winter storms in 2014 and 2017, strong waves exposed hundreds of timbers and artefacts at the Belinho beach, in the North of Portugal. These ship remains were later discovered to belong to a 16th-century shipwreck, probably originating from Northern Europe. This paper aims to discuss the importance of cargo analysis through the study of the material culture associated with that site, consisting mainly of hundreds of pewter, brass, lead, iron, and stone artefacts. Most of these objects seem to have belonged to the ship’s cargo and are tied to a European trade system reflecting economic, cultural, and symbolic behaviours.