9.–11.06.2025, Windtower Experience, Käina, Hiiumaa
The first expedition to discover and study sunken ships was organized by Estonian Maritime Museum 46 years ago. Since then, dozens of wrecks and other underwater cultural heritage have been found and studied, survey and research techniques have evolved, and our understanding of fieldwork methodology has changed. Maritime archaeology is no longer just about finding something new. It is just as important to go back to what has already been discovered and once explored. New research methods and techniques together with interdisciplinary cooperation make it possible to ask and answer questions that would have been unimaginable years ago. This way, a long-known and seemingly thoroughly studied piece of heritage still provides new pieces of information.
The Estonian Maritime Museum invites researchers to discuss the history of maritime archaeology, its methods and most exciting finds. Special attention will be paid to new research on already-known material or to long-term research projects.
The conference is part of a series of seminars and conferences dedicated to maritime archaeology and underwater heritage that Estonian Maritime Museum has been organising since 2020.
To celebrate the first expedition organized by the Maritime Museum, the conference goes to Hiiumaa, an island with rich maritime heritage. Transport for conference participants to Hiiumaa from Tallinn will be provided by the Museum.
We welcome presentations on the topics:
– Onset of maritime archaeological research and its areas of study (universities, museums, other public institutions).
– Problems and challenges facing maritime archaeological research
– Popularizing maritime archaeology
– Recent studies on already known sites with up-to-date results
Registration for presentations is open until 1.05.2025. Abstracts should be sent to merearheoloogia@meremuuseum.ee