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Chapter 17: Conclusions 411
silver coins, or some bits of ship’s timber. Real people who crossed oceans made amazing voyages and did strange and often incomprehensible things.
Bass recently wrote (Bass, 2002):
“Now we have stepped over the threshold of a new millennium. What does the future hold? More academic programs will be formed, more maritime museums established. More state and national agencies around the world will have specialists in underwater archaeology. I would even hazard a guess that the most important archaeological discoveries of the first half of the 21st century will be made under water.”
If we aspire to protect the remaining underwater cultural heritage of this planet, then we must mobilize resources. Public involvement through edu- cation is a key element in this process. Academics and administrators working in the field of underwater cultural heritage must engage the public, because it through public opinion that attitudes can be changed. No amount of legislation will protect heritage unless the will of the majority supports the process. This book is intended to provide some help in developing the tools that can assist in this process.