Journal of Maritime Archaeology

Journal of Maritime Archaeology
Title	Journal of Maritime Archaeology
Discipline	Maritime archaeology
Language	English
Publisher	Springer
History	2006–present
Frequency	Quarterly
Issn	1559-3584
Eissn	1559-3592

Contents

Journal of Maritime Archaeology The Journal of Maritime Archaeology is a peer-reviewed academic periodical publishing original research on underwater cultural heritage, shipwrecks, port archaeology, nautical technology and coastal landscapes. It serves as a forum connecting scholars associated with institutions such as the Council for British Archaeology, UNESCO, World Archaeological Congress, International Council on Monuments and Sites, and regional bodies like the Society for Historical Archaeology and the Institute of Nautical Archaeology. Contributions often intersect with case studies from regions including the Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, Persian Gulf, Black Sea, Baltic Sea, and the South China Sea.

History

The journal was established in 2005 and launched in 2006 under the auspices of maritime heritage advocates and academic organizations including the Institute of Nautical Archaeology and the Society for Underwater Technology. Early editorial leadership included scholars affiliated with the University of Southampton, Texas A&M University, University of Oxford, and the Wessex Archaeology practice. Over its tenure the periodical has reflected shifts driven by international instruments such as the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage (2001), debates prompted by discoveries near Antikythera, salvage controversies linked to cases like Black Swan Project litigation, and methodological advances showcased at conferences like the International Congress on Underwater Archaeology.

Coverage spans fieldwork reports from regions such as the Caribbean, Mediterranean Sea, Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean, and North Sea; thematic studies on ship construction referencing finds like the Vasa and Mary Rose; and interdisciplinary research engaging specialists from the British Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Lloyd's Register Foundation, and university departments at University of Southampton, University of Oxford, Leiden University, and University of Hawaiʻi. Articles address conservation practices linked to museums such as the National Maritime Museum and the Maritime Museum of San Diego, legal debates citing the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, salvage disputes involving entities like Odyssey Marine Exploration, and technological methods employing tools developed by Fugro, Kongsberg Maritime, and research teams from GEOMAR.

The editorial board comprises editors and associate editors drawn from institutions including Texas A&M University, University of York, University of Cyprus, James Cook University, and the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research. Peer review follows double-blind procedures typical of journals associated with publishers such as Springer Science+Business Media and standards promoted by organizations like the Committee on Publication Ethics. Guest editors with expertise linked to projects like the Antikythera Mechanism excavation, the Uluburun shipwreck analysis, and the HMS Victory program have curated thematic issues.

Published by Springer Science+Business Media on a quarterly schedule, the journal issues include research articles, short communications, book reviews, and conference reports. Special thematic volumes have been coordinated with events such as the Underwater Archaeology Proceedings and collaborative projects involving the Norwegian Maritime Museum, the Hellenic Ministry of Culture, and the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities.

The journal is abstracted and indexed in major databases and services used by scholars at institutions like Princeton University, Harvard University, University of Cambridge, and agencies such as Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and bibliographic aggregators linked to the British Library and Library of Congress catalogs. Research from the journal is cited in monographs published by university presses including Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, and thematic compendia curated by the International Journal of Nautical Archaeology community.

Notable contributions have included site reports and syntheses referencing the Uluburun shipwreck, the Kyrenia ship, the Vasa, salvage controversies comparable to the Black Swan Project, and methodological papers advancing use of multibeam echosounder surveys, sub-bottom profiling from firms like Kongsberg Maritime, and photogrammetric reconstructions used by projects at the Horizon Archaeology group. Authors affiliated with the Institute of Nautical Archaeology, Center for Maritime Archaeology and Conservation at Texas A&M University, Wessex Archaeology, and the National Oceanography Centre have published influential case studies on artifact conservation, wreck formation processes, and legal-ethical frameworks inspired by the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage.

Available in print and electronic formats via SpringerLink subscriptions, institutional access through university libraries at University of Oxford, University College London, Yale University, and consortia such as Research Libraries UK facilitates readership. Individual articles may be accessible through interlibrary loan systems coordinated by the British Library, author self-archiving policies linked to repositories like Academia.edu and ResearchGate, and open-access options consistent with mandates from funders such as the European Research Council.

Category:Maritime archaeology journals Category:Springer academic journals