A Life Less than Ordinary: The Schooner Ocean (1821–1865)

The East Winner Bank Shipwreck takes its name from the southern sandbank on Hayling Island near Portsmouth, UK. Examination of the wreck indicates a 19th-century carvel-built vessel. The sandbank is an active environment, meaning the wreck is rarely exposed to its full extent. Discussed here is work completed on the site before and during the social-distancing restrictions imposed by COVID-19. Documentary sources and previous detailed surveys suggest a possible identification for the wreck. The site appears to be an example of an everyday 19th-century coastal trading vessel, rarely explored archaeologically in the UK, with potential to contribute to discussions of the maritime technologies and maritime cultural landscape of regular folk. The investigation represents an excellent example of combining historical and archaeological data sets to further the interpretation of both sources, revealing details about the ship and its lasting impact on this stretch of coastline.

SURVEI SIDE SCAN SONAR DALAM PENELITIAN ARKEOLOGI BAWAH AIR DI PERAIRAN SUNGAI: STUDI KASUS PADA DAERAH ALIRAN SUNGAI BRANTAS [SIDE SCAN SONAR SURVEY IN RIVERINE UNDERWATER ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH: CASE STUDY IN THE BRANTAS BASIN]

Aplikasi metode geofisika menggunakan side scan sonar dalam penelitian arkeologi bawah air belum banyak dilakukan di Indonesia. Tulisan ini memaparkan penggunaan side scan sonar untuk pemetaan dasar sungai dan identifikasi tinggalan arkeologi di dasar sungai dalam penelitian “Sungai Brantas dalam Perspektif Lanskap Kultur Maritim”, serta interpretasi hasil survei side scan sonar tersebut dalam konteks kesejarahan. Selain itu, dalam tulisan ini akan dibahas potensi pengembangan penggunaan side scan sonar dalam penelitian arkeologi bawah air di Indonesia, terutama di perairan sungai. Akuisisi data dilakukan dengan menggunakan side scan sonar Starfish 450H dengan sistem posisi GNSS Trimble R8s. Sementara itu, interpretasi diperoleh dengan melakukan analisis terhadap data peta dan arsip Belanda untuk memahami konteks temporal dari objek yang dideteksi oleh alat side scan sonar. Survei berhasil menunjukkan sedimen di dasar sungai berupa lempung dan lanau, serta beberapa objek yang diduga sebagai bangkai kapal, yang diperkirakan berasal dari pasca abad ke-19 Masehi. Hasil survei side scan sonar menunjukkan tingkat akurasi cukup hingga tinggi dan dapat menjadi pendukung penelitian arkeologi bawah air yang efisien, terutama di perairan yang keruh. Side scan sonar survey as one of the geophysics methods is still scarcely applied in underwater archaeological research in Indonesia. This paper describes the application of side scan sonar survey in mapping riverbed and identifying underwater archaeological remains in the “Sungai Brantas in the Perspective of Maritime Cultural Landscape” project, as well as interpreting its historical context based on survey results. This paper also explores the development of utilizing side scan sonar in underwater archaeological research in Indonesia, particularly in rivers. Data was acquisitioned by using the side scan sonar Starfish 450H and GNSS Trimble R8s positioning system. The interpretation was drawn by analysing related Dutch old maps and archives to understand the historical context of the survey findings. The result shows clay and silt sediment covering most of the riverbed and a number of objects, possibly shipwrecks, estimated as from the nineteenth century. The survey result has a medium to high accuracy. Thus, this method is able to serve as an efficient instrument for underwater archaeological research, especially in the low-visibility waters.

Revealing a Maritime Cultural Landscape of Hong Kong: The Sai Kung Case Study

Hong Kong island is located in Southern China at the mouth of the Pearl River. Its coastal location down river from the significant port-city of Guangzhou (formerly Canton), is strategically located in the trade route known as the Maritime Silk Road, the 2,000-year-old trade between China, Southeast Asia, India and Arabia. It was because of this trade that the waters and islands at the Pearl River mouth were frequented by many nations, and where the Portuguese had their port-city, Macau from 1557, and the British were based on Hong Kong island from 1842. Over the next 60 years, the British leased further surrounding territories and the arrangement eventually led to the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, hereafter called the Hong Kong region. A significant maritime cultural landscape was built up, which included sites from earlier periods. An example of this maritime cultural landscape can be seen in the Sai Kung (eastern) district of the Hong Kong region. Many ships travelled along this coastline between the northern China ports and Guangzhou, and a number of coastal facilities were established. Beginning in 2009, a group of Hong Kong residents (Hong Kong Underwater Heritage Group) implemented a series of maritime archaeological projects in the Sai Kung district in collaboration with the Hong Kong Maritime Museum (HKMM). The results of this work can be seen in three maritime archaeology survey and excavation projects implemented from 2014 to 2017, including the discovery of a 1,000-year-old underwater cultural heritage (UCH) site. They complement the many coastal cultural heritage in the Sai Kung district to reveal its maritime cultural landscape.

Canoes in context: An Ojibwa maritime cultural landscape

A birch-bark canoe often conjures up images of French and British fur traders but its most important context comes from an association with the Native communities that invented the craft. This article describes Ojibwa birch-bark canoes’ place in a culture that was influenced by the lakes, ponds, rivers and streams that made up their environment throughout the Great Lakes region and Canada. Just as importantly, Ojibwa canoes offer an excellent device for exploring the multitude of ways that water influenced identity, cosmology and day-to-day life.

No Country for Men: Searching for Late Medieval Submerged Settlements in the North-Eastern Zuiderzee Area in the Netherlands

This article focuses on the maritime cultural landscape of the former Zuiderzee (ad 1170–1932) in the central part of the Netherlands. Since the large-scale reclamations from the sea (1932–1968), many remains have been discovered, revealing a submerged and eroded late medieval maritime culture, represented by lost islands, drowned settlements, cultivated lands, shipwrecks, and consequently socio-economic networks. Especially the north-eastern part of the region, known today as the Noordoostpolder, is testimony to the dynamic battles of the Dutch against the water. By examining physical and immaterial datasets from the region, it is possible to give a modern-day idea of this late medieval maritime cultural landscape. Spatial distribution and densities of late medieval archaeological remains are analysed and compared to historical data and remote sensing results. This interdisciplinary approach has led to the discovery of the remains of the drowned settlement of Fenehuysen.

A historiography of Angkor’s river network: shifting the research paradigm to Westerdahl’s Maritime Cultural Landscape | ការសិក្សាអំពីប្រវត្តិសាស្ត្រនៃបណ្តាញផ្លូវទឹកនៅតំបន់អង្គរ៖ ការផ្លាស់ប្តូរគម្រូនៃការស្រាវជ្រាវទៅការសិក្សាផ្នែកវប្បធម៌ទេសភាពតាមផ្លូវទឹករបស់ Westerdahl

This article is an overview of the work that has been conducted so far on river usage and nautical technology in the history of Angkor, and a discussion on how maritime approaches can contribute to the creation of new knowledge by opening new lines of research that can help us reconstruct a more nuanced view of Angkor’s fluvial history. Although Angkor’s connection to the river network was made in the early 20th century, the compartmentalized studies that have been carried out so far on the subject of Angkor’s relationship to its watery environment have resulted in interpretations that do not reflect the complexity of the subject. It will be argued here that archaeologists who do not integrate maritime approaches in studies of cultures like Angkor, where waterways play an important role in their environment, are likely to miss important aspects of fluvial cultures. By applying concepts such as the Maritime Cultural Landscape, it will be possible to push beyond the boundaries of terrestrial approaches and discover how the environmental conditions of cultures like Angkor – with river networks as the main means of communication – resulted in the development of specific cognitive and functional traits that gave form to fluvial cultural landscapes. An example of such an approach is offered as a conclusion in an analysis of masonry bridges in Angkor’s transport network.ជាទិដ្ឋភាពរួមនៃការងារស្រាវជ្រាវដែលបានធ្វើកន្លងមក ស្តីពីការប្រើប្រាស់ទន្លេ និងបច្ចេកវិទ្យាផ្លូវទឹក ក្នុងប្រវត្តិសាស្ត្ររាជធានីអង្គរ ហើយជាការជជែកថាតើមធ្យោបាយផ្លូវសមុទ្រអាចរួមចំណែកដល់ការបង្កើតចំណេះដឹងថ្មី តាមរយៈការបើកខ្សែស្រាវជ្រាវថ្មីដែលអាចជួយយើងឱ្យច្នៃឡើងវិញនូវគំហើញលាយឡំពីប្រវត្តិសាស្ត្រផ្លូវទន្លេរបស់រាជធានីអង្គរ។ ទោះបីទំនាក់ទំនងរាជធានីអង្គរជាមួយបណ្តាញទន្លេត្រូវបានសិក្សារួចហើយកាលពីដើមសតវត្សទី២០នោះ ការសិក្សាដោយបែងចែកតាមផ្នែកដែលបានធ្វើរួចកន្លងមក លើប្រធានបទ សម្ព័ន្ធភាពរាជធានីអង្គរ ចំពោះបរិស្ថានផ្លូវទឹកបានបង្កឱ្យមានការបកស្រាយដែលមិនឆ្លុះបញ្ចាំងពីភាពសាំញ៉ាំនៃ ប្រធានបទនេះទេ។ អ្វីដែលត្រូវ ដេញដោលនៅក្នុងអត្ថបទនេះគឺបុរាណវិទូ ដែលមិនបញ្ចូលមធ្យោបាយផ្លូវសមុទ្រ ចូលក្នុងការសិក្សាវប្បធម៌ដែលដូចរាជធានីអង្គរ ដែលផ្លូវទឹកដើរតួនាទីសំខាន់ ក្នុងបរិស្ថានតំបន់នោះ ទំនងជាភ្លេចចំណុចសំខាន់នៃវប្បធម៌ផ្លូវទន្លេហើយ។ តាមរយៈការអនុវត្តទស្សនាទានដូចជាទេសភាពវប្បធម៌ផ្លូវសមុទ្រ អ្វីដែលអាចទៅរួច គឺការរុញឱ្យផុតព្រំដែនមធ្យោបាយផ្លូវគោក ហើយរកមើលថាតើលក្ខណ្ឌបរិយាកាសនៃវប្បធម៌ដូចរាជធានីអង្គរ ដែលមានប្រព័ន្ធទន្លេ ជាមធ្យោបាយប្រាស្រ័យទាក់ទងចម្បង បង្កឱ្យមានការអភិវឌ្ឍសញ្ញាណចំណេះ និងមុខងារជាក់លាក់ដែលបង្កើតជា ទេសភាពវប្បធម៌ផ្លូវទន្លេយ៉ាងណា។ ឧទាហរណ៍មួយនៃមធ្យោបាយបែបនេះ នឹងផ្តល់ជាការសន្និដ្ឋាន ក្នុងការវិភាគស្ពានកំបោរនានា នៅក្នុងបណ្តាញដឹកជញ្ជូនរបស់រាជធានីអង្គរ។