Multidisciplinary Approaches to Studying Seafaring in Deep Time
Maritime Archaeology, including both tangible and intangible maritime cultural heritage, creates a nexus where marine science and human stories meet. This paper presents the findings of a multidisciplinary project, the ERC ACROSS Project, which studied seafaring in deep time between Sunda (Island South East Asia) and Sahul (modern day Australia and New Guinea). The project took an integrated approach that used legacy, industry seismic data alongside oceanographic modelling to map the changing marine environment, sea-level rise, and the palaeo-submerged landscapes of the northwestern Australian shelf. With a better understanding of the palaeogeography of the coast, winds, tides and currents, it is possible to further question some of the earliest seafaring in human history to study early maritime connectivity and movement of people in and around Australia 65,000 years ago. Through this work we explore the deep histories of the human ocean and recognise the enduring importance of maritime cultural heritage.