'A Ship off The Needles', possibly SS Sultan by Wiber (active 19th Century) - Carisbrooke Castle Museum
Listening to Our Past is a joint Honor Frost Foundation (HFF) and Maritime Archaeology Trust (MAT) oral history project aimed at recording the experiences and memories of maritime archaeology pioneers around the world. Pioneers shared their memories through a series of interviews where they discussed their involvement in the development of the field.
Whilst maritime archaeology has deep roots, it is still a relatively young discipline, with the majority of the pioneering excavations carried out in the last 50-60 years. As many of the individuals who contributed to the development of the field are still active, we have had a unique opportunity to build a historically informed understanding of the development of maritime archaeology as a discipline, as a practice and as a profession.
Archives and oral histories are key components of this endeavour. The growing number of secure and accessible archives available, can help us gain a better appreciation of the evolution of ideas, practices, institutions, and individuals relating to maritime archaeology. Likewise, narratives of key individuals who have contributed to the field, can provide alternative insights through personal experiences and memories often absent from archival material. In this framework, it has been important to involve professionals but also those who have contributed from non-academic or non-archaeological backgrounds, to capture the multiple perspectives of the development of the discipline.
The project also sought to include other oral history initiatives relating to the history of the discipline, this includes the HFF Soundings project. Since 2017 the Soundings Project team has been collecting testimonies, recollections and experiences from friends and colleagues of the pioneer, Honor Frost, across the years and across the continents.
Through this portal you can explore the interviews and photographs provided from the individuals we spoke to. You can search by name, or even search for projects, sites and organisations mentioned across the interviews. There are also a number of resources relating to the history of maritime archaeology which can be accessed from the Resources button, including other interviews, archives and publications.
Data within the viewer is based on research where we can reliably trust available sources. If you have information or images that could be added to the database please contact us on:
Select an interviewee to see their details here.
Select an interviewee to listen to their interview and read the transcript.
Select an interviewee to see their images here.
How do you choose who to interview?
The aim of the project was to collect oral histories from individuals who have contributed to the development of maritime archaeology as a discipline. The key themes we believe include individuals who have:
Over one hundred individuals have been contacted in the course of this project; however, it has not been possible to interview or reach all of them. As a result, numerous key figures who have significantly contributed to the development of the field are not currently represented. It is hoped that future interviews will allow for the continued expansion of this resource, ensuring a more comprehensive documentation of the discipline’s evolution.
Did you include people involved in maritime archaeology avocationally?
Yes, we’ve included anyone who contributed to the development of the field, as outline above – many of the early pioneers in the discipline were not part of the academic sector.
What other projects are included in the portal?
Alongside the interviews conducted for the Listening to Our Past project, the portal also includes interviews carried out through the Honor Frost Foundation Soundings project, and from the Foundation’s Memory Booth initiative. Since 2017 the Soundings Project team has been collecting testimonies, recollections and experiences from friends and colleagues of Honor Frost, across the years and across the continents. The Memory Booth was an initiative to collect short interviews from participants at the 2017 Under the Mediterranean conference, organised by the Honor Frost Foundation in Cyprus. The portal also includes links to external interviews, these are interviews carried out by other projects and organsations, but relate to individuals interviewed as part of this project, and the development of maritime archaeology. They include - Women and Protected Wrecks (MAT), Diving into the Past, Archaeology Podcast Network, AMU and CNRS, Dave Bryant (YouTube), Nautical Archaeology Society (NAS), Institute of Nautical Archaeology (INA), and Penn Museum. Links can be found on the Interview tab.
How can I submit my contribution?
You can get in touch with us by emailing info@maritimearchaeologytrust.org and using “LTOP” to the subject of the message.
How do the filters work?
The individuals listed for each entry include all the people mentioned during the course of the interview, while the items included in the country, sites, institutions, policies, and time periods strictly refer to elements that were significant to the interviewee’s formation and career. The interview might cover other topics, so make sure to have a listen!
Acknowledgements
We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Honor Frost Foundation, whose funding made this project possible. We also wish to thank all those who contributed through conducting interviews, providing translations, preparing transcripts, and facilitating contact with pioneers across the world.
The interviews collected here provide unique and valuable insights into the history of maritime archaeology. Through this project, we have also identified many other resources that trace the development of the discipline. These include personal archives, oral history projects, YouTube videos, podcasts, and publications. More information and links to these resources can be found below.
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Alongside gathering oral histories relating to the history of maritime archaeology, this project has also helped identify additional personal archives that shed light on the discipline’s development. This work builds on the maritime collection held in the Special Collections at the University of Southampton.
The archive of Honor Frost, preserved in the Special Collections, is particularly significant. Thanks to her meticulous record-keeping, it contains a wealth of information from sites across the Mediterranean, as well as material relating to the evolution of policy and practice in the field. Over 5,000 slides from the Honor Frost Archive are now available through the Special Collections Digital Library, click here. Additional archives belonging to Nicholas Flemming, Lucien Basch, Sean McGrail, John Bingeman, and Peter Marsden have since been added.
Through the efforts of the Honor Frost Foundation and the Listening to Our Past project, work continues to expand the maritime archaeology archives. The Foundation also offers an Archive Fellowship to support visits to the Special Collections and conduct research on a topic centred on the maritime collection.
Further work is also being carried out to identify maritime archaeological archives held in other collections worldwide. Links to these will be added here soon.
For further information, please contact:
The Nautical Archaeology Society and the International Journal of Nautical Archaeology, both key institutions for the development of the discipline, have produced numerous online videos and webinar series relating to the history of the field. Two particularly interesting videos are from the 2021 NAS Annual Conference, celebrating 50 years of the IJNA. The first features fascinating discussions with pioneers including Paula Martin, David Blackman and Valerie Fenwick, whose interviews can also be found on this portal. The second video includes further discussions with pioneers such as Colin Martin, Peter Marsden, Chris Underwood and Robert Yorke; again, their interviews from the Listening to Our Past project are also available here.
The Institute of Nautical Archaeology, founded over fifty years ago by pioneering members including George and Ann Bass, has a YouTube channel containing a number of videos on the history of the discipline, as well as interviews with founding members. Notable videos include ‘Nautical Archaeology – The Beginnings’.
The Mary Rose Trust and the National Museum of the Royal Navy also undertook an oral history project called ‘Sea Your History’. Among the many themes covered, one notable series is ‘Diving into the Past’, which includes interviews with those who took part in the pioneering excavation of the Mary Rose. Extracts from the interviews are available on the website and we are working with the NMRN to make the full collection accessible through this portal.
A number of podcasts also explore the development of maritime archaeology. The Honor Frost Foundation’s Dive & Dig Podcast covers a broad range of subjects and themes. The first series explores developments over the last fifty years, particularly the contributions of Honor Frost and Episode One examines how the advent of SCUBA impacted the field, including an interview with Philippe Cousteau, grandson of Jacques Cousteau, the co-inventor of the aqua-lung.
The Oxford Centre for Maritime Archaeology also has a podcast series, one episode includes discussions with Franck Goddio and Damian Robinson on past achievements in the field. The Archaeology Podcast Network features interviews with Barry Cunliffe on maritime connectivity. The Mariner’s Mirror Podcast, produced by the Society for Nautical Research, also explores the history of the discipline and highlights pioneering projects like Sutton Hoo.
Another useful resource is by Professor Jon Adams, ‘History of Maritime Archaeology’. This resource was developed through the University of Southampton’s FutureLearn course Shipwrecks and Submerged Worlds. It explains the contributions of pioneers such as Jacques Cousteau, Peter Throckmorton, and George Bass. The University also provides a timeline (see below) of key events in the field, including contributions from Joan du Plat Taylor. Publications about Joan du Plat Taylor and her role in maritime archaeology, can also be found here, and an article on the history of the field by Chuck Meide, can be found here.
In 2025 a symposium was held in Perpignan entitled Pioneering Archaeological Diving in the Mediterranean and Black Sea: Players, Methods, and Collections since the 1940s. The Listening to Our Past project was presented at the conference. We hope to share further information on this soon. The symposium also highlighted the contributions of key French pioneers. Many of the earliest excavations took place off the coast of France, alongside the development of the aqua-lung. For more on the development of maritime archaeology in France, see the DRASSM website, which explores early pioneers and projects from the 1940s.
This is not an exhaustive list. We will continue to add links to other projects relating to the history of maritime archaeology, if you would like to include a project, please contact us at:
Below is the University of Southampton Maritime Archaeology Timeline