Editor's favourite underwater archaeology books



böckerChristian Ahlström: Looking for Leads (Finnish Academy of Science and Letters 1997, ISBN 951-41-0805-1). Detailed description of the archival search that finally identified some 18th century wrecks of the Baltic Sea.

Jean-Yves Blot: Underwater Archaeology: Exploring the World Beneath the Sea (Thames & Hudson/Abrams 1996) / L'histoire engloutie – ou l'archéologie sous-marine (Gallimard/Editions Arthaud 1995). Excellent little book for beginners and others. Plenty of pictures and texts covering many aspects of UW archaeology.

Jean-Yves Blot: Archéologie sous-marine (Arthaud 1988). Well written and straightforward book covering many technical aspects. Only in French.

Carl Olof Cederlund: The Old Wrecks in the Baltic Sea (1983). Good report from investigations of several ancient and well preserved wooden ships on the Baltic seabottom.

J P Delgado (editor): British Museum Encyclopaedia of Underwater and Maritime Archaeology (1997). Klick to read the review.

Detlev Ellmers: Frühmittelalterliche Handelsschiffahrt in Mittel- und Nordeuropa (Wachholz Verlag, 1972 and 1984). Vast in-depth reference on Medieval shipping and shipbuilding with beautiful illustrations. Only in German.

Stephen Johnson: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Sunken Ships and Treasures (Alpha Books, 2000). This is a well written and entertaining coffee table book with lots of facts and very few errors.

Günter Lanitzki: Versunken in der Ostsee (Koehlers Verlag, 1993). Several, mostly Swedish, wrecks in the Baltic sea described in detail. Only in German.

Günter Lanitzki: Amphoren, Wracks, versunkene Städte (VEB Brockhaus, 1980)

Keith Muckelroy (editor): Archaeology Under Water, an Atlas of the World's Submerged Sites (1980). Excellent reference for beginners and others.

Peter Throckmorton: The Sea Remembers – Shipwrecks and Archaeology (1987). Beautiful and well-written book covering most aspects of underwater archaeology.

M Dean, B Ferrari, I Oxley, M Redknap, K Watson (editors): Archaeology Underwater, The NAS Guide to Principles and Practice (1992). Comprehensive guide to the UW archaeology procedures and methods.

Bluff your way in Archaeology (Ravette Books). Entertaining and not so serious book written by a real archaeologist.

Dudszus, Henriot, Krumley: Das grosse Buch der Schiffstüpen, Transpress VEB Verlag, Berlin 1987, ISBN 3-344-00161-2. Good reference of shipbuilding.

Underwater Archaeology, a nascent Discipline. (UNESCO, Paris, 1972)

Per Åkesson, 1996

There is a separate list for shipbuilding literature. This page is just a personal selection, not claiming scientific relevance. Page revised jan '03


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