Underwater Archaeology In The 21st Century: From Humble Beginnings To Integration With Anthropology And Archaeology

This collection contains the abstracts of the papers presented in the session entitled "Underwater Archaeology In The 21st Century: From Humble Beginnings To Integration With Anthropology And Archaeology," at the 2024 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

This symposium addresses the conference theme, “Portals to the Past—Gateway to the Future,” by presenting four views of underwater archaeology, from its roots in adventure diving and treasure hunting to a maturing sub-discipline within the fields of anthropology and archaeology. Topics include early efforts to develop the discipline, social structure, state programs, and new categories, such as shipwreck anthropology and naval archaeology. The first project to fully excavate an underwater site by professional archaeologists employing accepted archaeological methodology did not take place until 1960. “The Cape Gelidonya Shipwreck”, excavated by Dr. George Bass, forever altered the view that “divers” could add little useful information to the archaeological record. Since then, progress has been swift, and underwater archaeology has made many significant contributions to our understanding of the past. However, there is still room for improvement.