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Abstract
While underwater archaeology has been practiced for decades, there is a resurgence in the field moving beyond shipwrecks to investigate sites of great antiquity. Over 50 years ago, archaeologists demonstrated that underwater research could be conducted to the same standards as on land and it produced unique data. Beyond data, however, submerged prehistory has contributed little to the theoretical side of archaeology or anthropology despite that fact that submerged landscapes relate to some of the most significant questions in human history. The field of underwater prehistory and its relation to anthropology parallels obstacles faced by terrestrial prehistoric archaeologists in the 1950s–1970s, when archaeology fought to contribute to anthropological theory. Now, submerged prehistory is in a similar boat, it can contribute unique and novel data to address some of not just archaeology’s, but anthropology’s biggest questions, but its potential has yet to be realized. This paper explores the trajectory of submerged prehistoric research at the start of its integration into anthropology and explores the areas where it is likely to contribute to anthropological theory.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Notes
1 In some cases, sites have survived first inundation as well as several marine transgressions and regressions over many millennia (see Werz, Cawthra, and Compton Citation2014:236).
2 At least in Europe were scholars have conducted thorough examinations of submerged landscapes, see Conclusion.
3 There are also implications for when these regions become re-inundated and large portions of the best landscapes are gone.
4 Another critique is that underwater archaeology is too expensive. This has been dealt with elsewhere (see Bailey Citation2014), but most importantly, there are relatively inexpensive data recovery methods including remote sensing and shallow-water diving (e.g., Carabias et al. Citation2014; Faught Citation2014; Momber Citation2014). Furthermore, many sites have been systematically excavated at low costs (e.g., Tybrind Vig, Malm Citation1995), and methods are constantly improved in order to complete underwater research within the confines of terrestrial archaeology budgets–primarily using smaller research vessels and hand-deployable assets (O’Shea Citation2015). In addition, collaborations with industrial partners can decrease overall expenses (see Bailey et al. Citation2007).