Maritime Archaeology

Flinders University is home to an internationally recognised Maritime Archaeology course. The people behind this course have discovered new ways to preserve Australia's lost ships without the multi-million dollar cost that usually comes with it.


Maritime archaeology is a discipline that studies human interaction with the sea, lakes and rivers through the study of vessels, shore side facilities, cargoes, human remains and submerged landscapes.


Maritime archaeological sites usually result from shipwrecks or sometimes seismic catastrophes, and thus represent a moment in time rather than a slow deposition of material accumulated over a period of years. This fact has led to shipwrecks being described as time capsules.