01/11/2011
Sri Lanka is strategically located between Arabia and East Asia, at a natural crossroads of navigational routes, and has been a centre of trade and cultural exchange since ancient times. Sri LankaŹ¼s seafaring history, and the archaeological riches of her land sites, suggests that her underwater sites may prove comparably fascinating. In 2001 a Maritime Archaeology Unit (MAU) has been formed under the Mutual Heritage Centre, managed by the Central Cultural Fund in cooperation with the Amsterdam Historical Museum, the University of Amsterdam and the Western Australian Maritime Museum, and sponsored by the Netherlands Cultural Fund. The first major project is the excavation of the Avondster, one of several Dutch East Indiamen wrecked in and outside the harbour at Galle.
