“Shipwrecks of the Roaring Forties”, Dr Corioli Souter (Adjunct Lecturer in Archaeology, UWA, and Curator, Department of Maritime Archaeology, Western Australian Museum)
Date: 4 November, 2015
Time: 6:00pm
Venue: Theatre Auditorium, University Club, University of Western Australia
Register: Free, but RSVP essential. For full information and to register, please visit: http://www.ias.uwa.edu.au/lectures/bennett
Shipwrecks of the Roaring Forties is an Australia Research Council (ARC) funded project that is making a significant contribution to our understanding of Europeans active in the Indian Ocean and our region during the 17th and 18th centuries through the unique window into the past provided by these maritime archaeological sites. The project is led by UWA’s Associate Professor of Archaeology Alistair Paterson in partnership with researchers from the Western Australia Museum and other national and international partners.
The project builds on the early work by the Western Australian Museum which pioneered underwater archaeological excavations centred on shipwrecked Dutch United East India (Vereenigde Oostindishe Compagnie or VOC) vessels that passed through the Indian Ocean.
This early work set the international benchmark for excavation and management of post-medieval and early modern wreck sites. These historic events placed Australia at the forefront of maritime archaeology globally, and led to Western Australia enacting the world’s first underwater heritage legislation, followed by the Commonwealth, in 1976. Forty years on, the shipwrecks, associated terrestrial sites and artefact collections continue to be examined using new methodologies and technologies.
This lecture is an overview of the archaeological discoveries with a special focus on the 2015 excavations of the Batavia related sites.
Corioli Souter’s current research interests include remote sensing survey techniques for the discovery and mapping of shipwreck and terrestrial sites and the archaeology of contact between Aboriginal Australians and visitors along the Western seaboard. She has also established collaborations with terrestrial archaeologists for the investigation of shipwreck survivor camps and other maritime terrestrial sites such as those found in the Abrolhos, the Dampier Archipelago, as well as the South west and Kimberley coasts. Over the last few years, Corioli has developed and provided content for exhibition projects including Immerse: Exploring the Deep (2011), Lustre: Pearling & Australia (2015) and Indian Ocean Stories (2016), a collaboration with the British Museum.
