Shipwrecks and maritime archaeology

Shipwrecks are the most numerous and distinctive type of site studied by ma ritime archaeologists. Their uniform characteristics, regardless of date, p lace and type, mean that virtually all wrecks can be investigated using sim ilar methodologies and research strategies. The contributions to this issue of World Archaeology demonstrate both these common features and the wide v ariety of archaeological and historical contexts in which wreck data can be placed. They also reflect the truly global nature of underwater archaeolog y as it has evolved over the past decade, with many sites investigated in p reviously undeveloped regions and an attendant increase in cultural resourc e management. This period has also seen significant developments in theory. a distinctive agenda is developing which emphasizes the unusual quality of maritime data and the possibilities of inductive analysis, yet seeks to ex pand and diversify the contexts in which ships and their material culture a re viewed; new approaches have been derived from symbolic, contextual and c ritical archaeology, and from wide-ranging socio-economic models. Diversify ing the contexts in which wreck evidence is interpreted underlines its esse ntial richness and its unique contribution to archaeology.