Page 166 - Manual for Activities directed at the Underwater Cultural Heritage

water archaeology, the focus of study is the long human relationship with the sea and other water environments. Ar- chaeologists professiona- lly quest for traces of the human past through the investigation, recor- ding and interpretation of cultural heritage.
Their conception of what archaeology means and requires is very different to the perception amongst many divers, particularly those with an interest in the commercial ex- ploitation of underwater cultural heritage. There is a risk that by paying lip service to archaeology, and drawing an odd
rough site plan, some national authorities might be persuaded that a proposed commercial inter- vention in an underwater heritage site is a legitimate archaeological excavation. However, the practice of archaeology is not easily picked up to meet permitting or licensing requirements.
Archaeology is a professional discipline with:
• a strong theoretical base;
• a set of investigative techniques; and
• a common, established set of guiding prin-
ciples.
All three can only be mastered through thorough training, including practical experience, and it is this training and the qualifications that result from it that ensure that the archaeological record is not compromised by an intervention.
To be deemed qualified and competent an ar- chaeologist must therefore possess a university degree in archaeology and demonstrate:
Requirements for determining qualification will vary from place to place, as will rules governing the conduct of archaeological excavations. For example, the code of ethics of the Australasian Institute for Maritime Archaeology (AIMA) defines a maritime archaeologist as someone:
• holding an ‘honours or other post-graduate degree in Maritime Archaeology or in another area of Archaeology with a major in Maritime Archaeology’; or
• who has ‘gained recognition by Australian State, Commonwealth or New Zealand governments as a maritime archaeologist plus a minimum of two and a half years of full time professional experience applying the theories, methods and practices of Maritime Archaeology to the identification, evaluation, documentation or treatment of maritime archaeological sites in Australasia (one year experience in maritime archaeology must be under supervision of a maritime archaeologist); and products and activities that demonstrate the successful application of acquired proficiencies to the practice of maritime archaeological preservation’.
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Competence and qualifications