Nautical archaeology is a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary field of study which expands our understanding of the past through the historical interpretation of boat and ship remains. In recent decades the discipline has faced huge changes due to the development of new tools, particularly 3D technologies, which have had a strong impact on the procedures of documentation, interpretation and reconstruction. These more efficient and precise tools have been adapted for the study of boats and ships, and are now widely adopted into the community of nautical archaeologists. This technology has had important consequences on archaeological analyses, improving speed, precision, reliability, and cost effectiveness.

However, the central issue is to determine whether these new tools help us propose new research questions to obtain a better understanding of boats and ships, and ultimately decide whether they lead to more relevant historical interpretations. The main theme of ISBSA 16 is Reading the Past – Imagining the Future, and its core aim is to reflect on the results of traditional methods and tools while considering new possibilities provided through the implementation of modern computer technology. Also, as technology is adopted in nautical archaeology, we must consider which methodological standard procedures or analytical practices remain relevant in future excavations.

Entitled “Sailing through History”, the 16th ISBSA intends also to continue the experiences gained during the previous editions, grouped under the following themes:

• Ship construction
• Recent discoveries
• Nautical ethnography
• Experimental nautical archaeology
• Research methods

Within the topics listed above, we are also reconsidering the foundations of the methodological paradigms of nautical archaeology (documentation, analysis and interpretation), particularly with regard to dialogue with historical, iconographic and ethnographic sources.

1_ISBSA 16_Book of Abstracts_Final.pdf