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Maritime
Lanka
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Maritime
Lanka:
maritime archaeology & history of Sri Lanka
The premises of the Maritime Archaeology Unit in Galle were destroyed in the tsunami of 26 Dec, and the collections and equipment are all either lost or severely damaged. Being a weekend, only one security guard was present: he was swept away but managed to catch hold of a tree, and survived with injuries. All other members of the team survived, as did all staff of Nooit Gedacht. Local and international members of the team are communicating on the best ways to assist with the humanitarian disaster and rebuilding. See news page for details and updates.
The
East Indiaman Avondster in Galle harbour has been excavated
recently, the first major project of the Maritime Archaeology Unit of
Sri Lanka*. The Avondster was originally an English ship, captured
and modified by the Dutch, relegated after a long career to shorthaul
coastal voyages, and wrecked in 1659 while at anchor in Galle harbour.
Read the story, see the site,
learn about the excavation, and
see what has been found in different parts
of the ship.
The section on Galle contains pages on VOC shipping, use of the harbour, the trilingual inscription left by Chinese admiral Zheng He, as well as details of other archaeological sites. Several Dutch East Indiamen were wrecked in Galle harbour, or just outside: they include the Hercules and the Dolfijn.
* The Maritime Archaeology Unit and conservation laboratory were formed under the Mutual Heritage Centre, managed by the Central Cultural Fund in cooperation with the Amsterdam Historical Museum, the University of Amsterdam, & the Western Australian Museum (departments of Maritime Archaeology & Materials Conservation), and sponsored by the Netherlands Cultural Fund.
In Nov 2003 it was decided that the MAU would be the base on which to establish a UNESCO regional training field school in underwater archaeological site conservation and management. Following the Avondster excavation, MAU staff had prepared a programme for survey and management of other maritime heritage sites in the Galle area, which they were looking forward to starting in January 2005.
| The Avondster |
6 Jan 2005