Maritime archaeology

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Maritime archaeology is a sub-discipline of archaeology concerned with the study of human cultures broadly relating to or found in the sea — in practice the subject encompasses in addition inland water, foreshore and coastal sites, as well as associated material culture, such as boats, fishing and trade items, on land. It is a relatively new sub-discipline of archaeology, having only developed distinct academic theories and vocational practices in the latter half of the twentieth century, once the development of scuba equipment allowed researchers to access archaeology under water and to realise the potential of the resource.

There is an important treaty protecting underwater cultural heritage, that is ruins and wrecks under water: The UNESCO 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage