Education Annual Conference Announcement, 30 April 2026 This year we have decided not to host our own annual conference. The November event has been mainstay of our annual programme for over 20 years, but since the Covid 19 pandemic restrictions were lifted we have struggled to get enough bums on seats at the in-person event. As such we are taking a pause to reflect and examine the purpose and format of the annual conference. We appreciate that is will be a disappointment to many members, and we would love to hear from the membership if you have a view on the future of the conference. A survey will be circulated shortly, but in the meantime if you would like to speak to us one-to-one, or join a NAS Conference focus group please do contact us. Even though there won’t be an NAS Conference this year, we are supporting and participating in the 2nd Early Watercraft Association (EWA) Congress taking place in Derry-Londonderry on the 6-8 November and NAS members will be offered discounted tickets. Information on the event is on the EWA website including plans for a walking tour of Derry-Londonderry on Thursday afternoon, 5 November. All conference attendees will receive a list of local attractions, museums and traditional pubs to explore independently. On Monday, 9 November, attendees may tour the famous North of Ireland Causeway Coastline by bus. The highlight of the excursion will be a visit to the Giant’s Causeway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As we travel the coast of County Antrim, we’ll see the island of Rathlin, the Scottish islands Islay and Jura, and the Scottish mainland, if the weather’s clear. The call for papers for the 2nd EWA Congress closes on the 1st June --------- 2025 Conference - Bringing the Past to Life 15th-16th November 2025, with associated events on the 17th. A two day conference (with associated events) organised in partnership with the University of Portsmouth and the University of Portsmouth Heritage Hub themed around celebrating how maritime archaeology is bringing our past to life through analogue and digital practice. The conference brought together researchers, professional practitioners and avocationals from across the world to explore traditional, creative and innovative methods and tools being used to protect and preserve our maritime past. The conference was themed around how a blend of analogue and digital methods can shape our understanding and the presentation of our maritime heritage. Presentations explored excavated archaeological assemblages, digital experiences, documentary archives, displayed museum collections and underwater sites such as wrecks and submerged landscapes. Weekend conference programme available here --------- Reimagining the Artefacts of the London, Carol Ellis --------- “Somehow, Good shall come of Water and of Mud”: Utilising storytelling as a positive, empathetic and creative tool with which to excavate, preserve and share the significant historical and archaeological narrative of Motor Launch [ML]286, Dr Suzanne Marie Taylor --------- Hands-On & High-Tech: Investigating Sandwich Bay’s Coastal Past, Peta Knott --------- A re-examination of maritime archaeological material from National Museums Scotland, Ella Paul --------- A Virtual DIYver Trail for the Wreck Sites of Warship Hazardous Prize (1706), Dr David Johnston --------- Forging Digital Legacies: 3D Underwater Recording and Narrative Creation with the Maritime Archaeology Trust, Brandon Mason --------- Bringing 3000 years of history from under the sea to life, Ronald Howell --------- Listening to Our Past: Recording the History of Maritime Archaeology, Lauren Tidbury --------- The Craft of Shipbuilding in Roman Egypt: A Story Behind Extensive Maritime Activity, Aya Helmy --------- Shedding Light on Honor Frost the Lighthouse of Alexandria, 1968-1995, Dr Dani Newman --------- Piecing Together the Past: The Mission to Bring One of the Forgotten Fleet Back to Life, Sheilah Openshaw --------- The role of 21st century technology in enhancing the understanding and interpretation of a 15th century ship, Dr Elaine Davey --------- Bringing the Bronze Age Boat to Life - 25 years of experimental archaeology, Cat Holt --------- Bringing the Past to Life - with a Bang! by Nick Hall --------- Recovering an Artifact to Tell the Story of an RCAF Liberator Bomber that Crashed in Newfoundland, Canada, BY Neil Burgess, Shipwreck Preservation Society of Newfoundland & Labrador Inc. --------- 2025 Conference Supporters The 2025 conference was funded by Historic England's Heritage Protection Commissions Fund and the UK Government. The 2025 event was generously sponsored by MSDS Marine & Heritage, MAST , PADI , The Mary Rose, and the Sub-Aqua Association 2024 Conference - The Archaeology of Waterways #ArchConf24 #ArchaeologyWaterways 16th - 17th November 2024, with associated events on the 15th and the 18th Venue: The Teaching & Learning Centre, Durham University, DH1 3LS. Our two day conference organised in partnership with Durham University, the Finds Research Group, and the Architectural and Archaeological Society of Durham and Northumberland was themed around the Archaeology of Waterways. Presentations The full programme of presentations over the weekend can be downloaded here --------- Beneath Elvet Bridge: investigating a submerged, multi-period archaeological site, Gary Bankhead, Durham University --------- Paddling into the Past: kayak-based archaeological prospection on the upper Severn and its tributaries, Dr Nigel Baker, University of Birmingham --------- Life on the Rochdale Canal, Kelly Griffiths and Kit Ackland, Museum of London Archaeology --------- Boats in a Coal Mine, John Buglass, JB Archaeology --------- Hulls on the Humber: CITiZAN’s work on the Humber Estuary, Andy Sherman, Museum of London Archaeology --------- Flowing through Time: The distribution and composition of 3000 years of archaeological finds from the River Thames, Miles Clifford, University of Reading --------- Community Waterscapes: Uncovering tangible and intangible heritage of watery landscapes through community engagement in the Hull region, Katerina Velentza, University of Hull --------- A palimpsest of archaeological remains from New Forest waterways, Garry Momber, Maritime Archaeology Trust --------- River of Buried Metal, Sabrina Autenrieth, Leiden University --------- Rubbish, ritual and retrieval: Roman objects in British rivers, Dr Philippa Walton University of Reading & Prof Hella Eckardt, University of Leicester --------- Navigating History: A Museum approach to presenting Riverways Archaeology for public engagement, Gemma Lewis and Anna Robson, Museum of Archaeology, Durham University --------- Reconstructing an Iron Age Crannog, Mark Hoyle, AOC Archaeology --------- Kilns and the Khalig/Khenes: investigating Ptolemaic period production and supply along the Khalig/Khenes and other waterways in the North-Western Delta, Egypt, Israel Hinojosa-Baliño, Durham University, and Elena Tiribilli, Pisa University --------- 2024 Conference Sponsors and Supporters We are grateful to our event sponsors and supporters who help to keep the delegate ticket price down. This year the conference was supported by Historic England, and sponsored by MSDS Marine & MSDS Heritage, the Maritime Archaeology Sea Trust, the Sub-Aqua Association, the Finds Research Group, the Architectural and Archaeological Society of Durham and Northumberland and Wessex Archaeology ------- 2023 Conference - Protecting Wrecks for 50 Years 18th - 19th November 2023 - Hosted online via the Zoom Webinar platform #ArchConf23 #PWA50 - Presentations / Panel Discussion / Short Workshops and Q&As / Quiz In 2023 our two day online conference and associated activities marked and celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Protection of Wrecks Act (1973). You can download the full programme here. The themed conference looked back at the origins of the Act, as well as providing a platform for current practitioners (both professional and avocational) to present their work on Protected Wrecks. The event also looked at the future for heritage management and protection by inviting key people within the sector to discuss their views and vision. ------- Presentations and Panel Sessions Dartmouth: A Golden Jubilee, Dr Colin Martin ----- The Origins of the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973, Dr Peter Marsden and Valerie Fenwick. ----- Panel Session – Protecting Wrecks for 50 Years, Chaired by Robert Yorke, Joint Nautical Archaeology Policy Committee & NAS Vice President. Panelists include Terry Newman (Historic England), Philip Robertson (Historic Environment Scotland), Colin Dunlop (DAERA Northern Ireland), Julie Satchell (Maritime Archaeology Trust), Dr David Parham (Bournemouth University), Jane Maddocks (BSAC), Peter Marsden, and Mark Beattie-Edwards (NAS). ----- The Misidentification of a Shipwreck in Cardigan Bay, West Wales, Ian Cundy, MADU ----- Making the Past Accessible, Diving Into the Digital Archives of the Earl of Abergavenny, Nick Reed & David Carter, Portland Museum ----- La Girona and the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973, Dr Rory McNeary, Department for Communities NI ----- 50 Years of Protection: What about the Next 50? Professor Dave Parham, Bournemouth University ----- Women and Protected Wrecks: Examining Engagement, Lauren Tidbury, Maritime Archaeology Trust ----- Guns at Sea – How Nautical Archaeology Transformed the Study of Early Naval Gunnery, Nicholas Hall & Alex Hildred, Mary Rose Trust ----- Frankly my dear, do I give a damn? Graham Scott, Wessex Archaeology ----- Licensee – why would you do it? Mark Pearce, Coronation Wreck Project, Ron Howell, South-West Maritime Archaeology Group. Hosted by Peta Knott, NAS ----- The societal impact of a meaningful understanding of our Protected Wrecks - the A1 submarine as a case study, Dr Douglas McElvogue, TrenDive and Martin Davies & Alison Mayor, Southsea Sub-Aqua Club ----- Investigating the Mortar Wreck, Tom Cousins, Bournemouth University YouTube Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfBDK8XRpbM ----- Protecting Wrecks for the next 50 years: Security Schemes, Forensic Marking and Enforcement, Alison James, MSDS Marine YouTube Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APZf92fIHuA ----- 2023 Conference Supporters The 2023 Conference was generously supported by: Historic England , the Maritime Archaeology Sea Trust, the Sub-Aqua Association, PADI, Historic Environment Scotland and MSDS Marine & MSDS Heritage ----------- Previous NAS Conferences 2022 Conference Sea Change: Human and Climate Influences on our Maritime Past - held in Dublin, Ireland in partnership with Diving Ireland, the National Monuments Service and the CHERISH Project 2021 Conference 50 years of Nautical Archaeology and the IJNA - held online 2020 Conference Now that's what I call Nautical Archaeology - held online 2019 Conference Wooden Walls and Stone Bastions - held in Portsmouth in partnership with the Ordnance Society 2018 Conference Building a Future for Our Maritime Past - held in Newport, Wales with the Friends of the Newport Ship 2017 Conference Discovery Is Just The Beginning - was held in Portsmouth 2016 Conference was held in Glasgow in partnership with the SCAPE Trust 2015 Conference was held in Portsmouth in partnership with the Society for Post Medieval Archaeology 2014 Conference was held in London in partnership with the Thames Discovery Programme, MOLA 2013 Conference was held in Portsmouth Catch up on the selection of recorded talks on our YouTube Channel Manage Cookie Preferences