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  • College Announces New Endowment Appointments

    Last month, the College of Arts and Sciences hosted the second annual Investiture Ceremony, in which three Nautical Archaeology Program faculty were recognized as recipients of endowed chairs and professorships that support their research and fieldwork.

  • Shipwreck Weekend 2024

    The Nautical Archaeology Program’s annual open house returns Saturday, April 13th! This year, we are honored to welcome Dr. Jennifer McKinnon from ECU as our guest speaker. Dr. McKinnon has a background in historical and maritime archaeology and cultural heritage management. She has worked in the US, Australia, the Pacific, and Europe on sites ranging […]

  • Public Lecture by Virginia State Underwater Archaeologist Brendan Burke

    On Wednesday, November 15, come see Virginia State Underwater Archaeologist Brendan Burke’s public lecture “A Commonwealth of Maritime Archaeology; The Underwater Archaeology Program at the Virginia Department of Historic Resources.” The lecture will be from 12:20-1:30pm in Room 237 of Texas A&M’s Anthropology Building. Lunch will be provided.

  • Shipwreck Weekend Returns!

    Shipwreck Weekend is back! The Nautical Archaeology Program's annual public event has returned. This year's theme: "Embodying Seamanship: Digital and Physical Reconstructions of the Seafaring Past."

  • he naval ram project team (l-r) Christopher Dostal, Stephen DeCasien and Glenn Grieco.

    Grad Student Explores Ancient Warfare With Naval Ram Project

    Anthropology Ph.D. candidate Stephen DeCasien was invited to the site of an astounding discovery off the coast of Sicily but couldn’t go due to pandemic restrictions at the time, so he did the next best thing.

  • Chris Dostal, director of the Conservation Research Laboratory, pictured next to the submerged remains of the colonial-era shipwreck he is working to conserve.

    Aggie Archaeologists Conserving Ship From Colonial-Era Virginia

    The long-forgotten trading vessel was unearthed in Alexandria and shipped to Texas A&M for extensive study and preservation.

  • Nicolle on site

    Nicolle Hirschfeld

    Working at Uluburun and earning my M.A. through NAP have been fundamental to shaping my person and career -- in terms of academic identity, knowledge, skills, and professional relationships -- and privileging me with adventures and memories and friends for a lifetime.

  • Dr Peter van Alfen

    Peter van Alfen

    Peter van Alfen is Chief Curator at the American Numismatic Society (ANS) in New York City where he oversees one of the largest collections of coins worldwide. While in the NAP he participated in shipwreck excavations at Ulu Burun, Bozburun, and Tektas Burnu, Turkey, and a survey for shipwrecks in the Red Sea. His print publications include studies of Byzantine amphoras, Linear B inscribed jars, and ancient coinage and monetary systems.

  • Chris Dostal starting cannon restoration

    Christopher Dostal Starts the Restoration of Bronze Cannons

    Check out this article featuring our own Dr. Chris Dostal! The Museo do Mar de Galicia launched a joint project with the CRL and INA to restore cannons discovered on shipwrecks along the Galician coast.

  • Journal of Ancient History cover image

    Stephen DeCasien Published in Journal of Ancient History

    Stephen DeCasien, a 3rd year NAP Ph.D. student, was published in the latest volume of the Journal of Ancient History! His article "Ancient Roman Naval Rams as Objects of Phallic Power" explores the political and gendered meanings of the naval ram within Roman society.

  • George Bass Book Cover for Meltem

    An Archaeological Thriller

    Did you know that NAP’s own late Dr. George Bass wrote a murder mystery? “Meltem: An Archaeological Thriller” is set along the coast of Turkey, near where some of his own groundbreaking excavations took place! The thriller, currently available in Turkish, is just the mood for Halloween!

  • David Ruff '19 investigating shipwrecks off the Albanian coast

    Center for Maritime Archaeology and Conservation

    The Center for Maritime Archaeology and Conservation (CMAC) is a research center at Texas A&M University with the goal of keeping the NAP at the forefront of nautical, maritime, and underwater archaeology research. Interdisciplinary research alliances allow CMAC to expand our expertise in artifact conservation, advanced underwater mapping technology, and ship reconstruction.

  • Ken at Kizilburun

    Nautical Archaeology Program

    Founded in 1976, the Nautical Archaeology Program (NAP) is the academic degree-granting graduate program in the Department of Anthropology at Texas A&M University. Nautical archaeology is the study of the remains of boats and ships and the cultures that created and used them. The program therefore focuses on the history of wooden ship construction; seafaring through the ages; maritime commerce, cargoes, and ports; and the techniques used to record, analyze and conserve the remains of these activities.

  • Dilapidated Ship

    Tenure Track Assistant Professor Position in Maritime Archaeology

    The Department of Anthropology at Texas A&M University invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor with a specialization in maritime archaeology.

  • George Bass

    Distinguished Professor Emeritus George Bass, December 9, 1932 – March 2, 2021

    It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of Distinguished Professor Emeritus George Bass, Founder of the Institute of Nautical Archaeology and Father of Underwater Archaeology. He influenced generations of Nautical Archaeologists, pioneering the science of archaeological excavation under water. If you are among the thousands of friends, colleagues, students, and enthusiasts who were influenced by the life and legacy of George Bass, please share your photos by sending them to remembergeorge@nauticalarch.org. We will post them online just as soon as we can.