Recent developments in african offshore prehistoric archaeological research, with an emphasis on South Africa

Abstract

The African continent represents a significant lacuna in respect of offshore prehistoric archaeological research. A recent survey of the scientific literature has indicated that with the exception of one South African project, Operation ‘Zembe’, no archaeological work pertaining to prehistoric periods has been undertaken to date anywhere offshore of the coasts of sub-Saharan Africa. Recent developments, however, have stimulated further plans to extend research into this field in the region. In the following, motivations for conducting sub-sea prehistoric archaeology in Africa are discussed. This is followed by a description of methodology. By describing aspects of research design and strategy, an opportunity exists to compare African prehistoric submarine archaeology with work undertaken elsewhere in the world.