The strategic importance of the Azores Islands resulted in the formation of a vast post-medieval underwater cultural heritage, consisting of shipwrecks and anchorages. This paper will discuss the scientific potential of this heritage through a presentation of the main shipwreck sites, specifically focusing on two historic ports of the archipelago’s central group where archaeological activity has been particularly intense: Angra, on Terceira Island, and Horta, on Fayal Island. The former was the main port of call for Portuguese and Spanish navigation in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries; the latter was an important Atlantic port for British navigation from the end of the seventeenth century onward and for American fleets during the nineteenth century.

Spatial statistical analysis is almost absent from research on underwater archaeological contexts. However, the information obtained using this approach would allow the reconstruction of depositional dynamics and the exploration of distribution patterns related to the ships’ on-board organization. This paper proposes a six-step methodology that will contribute to reducing the current gap in the use of spatial statistical analysis of shipwreck sites. This methodology will be tested in two distinct case studies, the Uluburun and the Tortugas wrecks, showing that the same protocol can be useful in the interpretation of different shipwrecks, in sites with a coherent distribution during their formation process. Using statistical tools, this methodology will strengthen context awareness, confirming, refuting, or adding new perspectives to previous interpretations. Finally, the way the framework was built will allow its replication in other sites.

Discovered in August 2020 and excavated until February 2021, Boa Vista 5 is the best-preserved ship ever found in the riverside area of Lisbon. The wreck was discovered in the limits of an anchorage used since Roman times, abandoned on the beach in the intertidal area sometime in the last quarter of the 17th century. The presence of coconuts suggests an operation area on the Atlantic, probably on the Brazilian routes, a rare example of a merchant ship of this period. In this paper we present the excavation and a first analysis of the ship construction features.

Ao longo dos últimos 20 anos, a arqueologia subaquática tem sofrido, enquanto disciplina científica, uma grande evolução, refletindo o despertar das diferentes sociedades para a necessidade de salvaguardar o seu Patrimônio Cultural Subaquático (PCS). Contudo, as conjunturas políticas dos diferentes estados têm levado à definição de políticas de gestão e salvaguarda que nem sempre refletem as necessidades ideais do PCS. Refletindo sumariamente sobre algumas dessas conjunturas, este trabalho visa apresentar, em linhas gerais, a evolução e a afirmação da arqueologia subaquática em Portugal, no Brasil, em Cabo Verde e no Uruguai. Incidindo sobre as questões mais prementes, serão analisados os processos relacionados com a implementação de normas legais de salvaguarda conformes à Convenção da Organização das Nações Unidas para a Educação, a Ciência e a Cultura (Unesco) de 2001, bem como o seu cumprimento. As diferentes perspectivas serão assim analisadas comparativamente, considerando as distintas sensibilidades dos contextos em questão, que envolvem tanto a defesa como a proteção patrimonial em meio aquático nos diferentes países.