A review of underwater archaeology offering a clear exposition of new developments in undersea technologies.

Maritime archaeology deals with shipwrecks and is carried out by divers rather than diggers. But this is by no means a marginal branch of archaeology. It embraces maritime history, analysing changes in ship-building, navigation, reconstructing the infrastructure of waterborne commerce, and offers fresh perspectives on the cultures and societies that produced the ships and sailors. Drawing on detailed and recent case studies, Richard Gould provides an up-to-date review of the field, and a clear exposition of new developments in undersea technologies. He also argues for the careful management of underwater cultural resources.

1. Introduction: underwater archaeology as historical science
2. Comprehending the underwater world
3. The state of the art in underwater archaeology
4. The archaeology of boats and small watercraft
5. The physical realities of ships and shipwrecks
6. The earliest ships
7. Ancient trade and exchange
8. Modern maritime trade and exchange
9. Archaeology of the early age of sail (600-1500 AD)
10. Archaeology of the great age of sail (1500-1850 AD)
11. The archaeology of modern naval warfare
12. Submerged terrestrial-site archaeology
13. Submerged ports and docks
14. Treasure hunting and the future of underwater archaeology.