Port Royal Underwater Archaeology Past Project

coke_methodist_church
Olive wine bottles in
situated in the Sunken
City, Port Royal

Parish: Kingston

Excavation Conducted in the water in Port Royal (Underwater Archaeology)

What is underwater archaeology?

Underwater archaeology is a specialized branch of archaeology which studies the human past through the investigation of artifacts or material culture, the use of structures, animal, plants and human remains, in a marine environment.

Underwater Archaeology Excavations in Port Royal

coke_methodist_church
View of the site of the
Sunken City
Underwater explorations and excavations have been conducted in Port Royal over the years. Here is a listing of such excavations. After the 1692 earthquake, people tried to salvage anything considered to be valuable from the area, which became known as the Sunken City.

1859

Jeremiah Murphy a naval diver, using a diving bell located the remains of Fort James.

1956 - 1959

Edwin Link dug test pits in the King's Warehouse and Fort James.

1960

Norman Scott explored Fort Carlisle.

1965 - 1968

Robert Marx excavated between twenty to thirty buildings in the Sunken City.

1981 - 1990

Institute of Nautical Archaeology of the Texas A&M University in close cooperation with the Archaeology Division excavated buildings near the intersection of Queen and High Street.


SHOWCASE
FORTS

Ever since the capture of Jamaica by the English from the Spanish in 1655, the need for fortification became immediate because of the...

 

SHOWCASE
COURTHOUSES

The Morant Bay Courthouse, which was destroyed by fire on Monday, February 19, 2007, is an important part of St. Thomas's history.

 

SHOWCASE
HISTORIC SCHOOLS

Built in 1885 of masonry and timber, the Simms building exhibits a combination of Gothic and Georgian features; the projecting...