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Maritime Cultural Resource Investigation, Management, and Mitigation in Coastal Ghana

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Abstract

Four field seasons of maritime archaeological research in coastal Ghana offer insights into submerged cultural heritage, but also highlight serious concerns for its preservation and protection. A discussion of cultural heritage legislation and its ineffective implementation, as well as imminent and potential threats to submerged cultural heritage frames the argument for the mitigation and protection of submerged sites in coastal Ghana. Work on the Benya Lagoon vessel and the Elmina Wreck site is presented here as both documentation and mitigation in terms of the context of threats to submerged heritage in coastal Ghana, and preventative mitigation is proposed for its protection.

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Acknowledgments

I am grateful for the opportunity Athena Trakadas has given me to contribute to this fascinating and important collection of articles. Liza Gijanto, Christopher DeCorse, and several external reviewers have provided me with invaluable feedback on this article. I am grateful to the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board for their support of this research, and am indebted to the many, many people who have made this work possible.

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    Rachel L. Horlings

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Horlings, R.L. Maritime Cultural Resource Investigation, Management, and Mitigation in Coastal Ghana. J Mari Arch 7, 141–164 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11457-012-9086-9

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