Nathan Richards
Assistant Professor
Ph.D., Flinders University
Phone: 252-328-1968
Office: Eller House 103
Fax: 252-328-6754
Email: richardsn@ecu.edu
Dr. Richards specializes in nautical archaeology, archaeological theory and is a specialist in watercraft discard and cultural site formation processes of the archaeological record. He has an interest in non-traditional subjects in maritime archaeology focusing on non-shipwreck sites such as ship graveyards, the archaeology of harbor infrastructure, submerged indigenous sites, and maritime terrestrial sites. He has been involved in a number of field schools run by Departments of Archaeology at Flinders University (South Australia), and James Cook University (Queensland), and has been employed in cultural resource management work by the State Governments of South Australia and Tasmania. His research has appeared in the Bulletin of the Australasian Institute for Maritime Archaeology, The Great Circle (The Journal of the Australian Association for Maritime History), The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology, as well as a number of other journal articles,book chapters, and numerous reports. He is co-author (with Robyn Hartell) of The Garden Island Ships’ Graveyard Maritime Heritage Trail (2001), and the soon to be published Ships’ Graveyards: Abandoned Watercraft and the Archaeological Formation Process. Dr. Richards is an active member of the Australasian Institute for Maritime Archaeology (their newsletter editor since 2001) and the Australian Association for Maritime History. Dr. Richards teaches classes in the history and theory of nautical archaeology, research and field methods, cultural resource management, and field schools.
Selected Publications:
2001 Garden Island Ships Graveyard Maritime Heritage Trail (with Robyn Hartell). Adelaide: Heritage South Australia, 2001.
“Thematic Studies in Australian Maritime Archaeology.” In Australian Approaches to Maritime Archaeology, Mark Staniforth and Mike Nash, editors. New York: Kluwer Press, 2005.
“Ruling Theories Linger: Questioning the Identity of the Beaufort Inlet Shipwreck” (with Bradley A. Rodgers and Wayne Lusardi). International Journal of Nautical Archaeology, 34 (2005): 24-37.
“The Archaeological Examination of Watercraft Abandonment in Australia: A Retrospective.” Bulletin of the Australian Institute for Maritime Archaeology 29 (2005):61-76.
“Unfit for Further Use: Watercraft Discard in Tasmania (1808-1997)” (with Michael Nash). Bulletin of the Australian Institute for Maritime Archaeology 29 (2005): 25-39 (With Michael Nash).
“The Role of Geo-politics in Cultural Site Formation: A Case Study from the Northern Territory.” Bulletin of the Australian Institute for Maritime Archaeology 28 (2004): 97-106.
Courses Offered:
HIST 6805: History and Theory of Nautical Archaeology
HIST 6820: Research Methodology in Nautical Archaeology
HIST 5005: Deep Water Methodology of Nautical Archaeology
HIST 5530: Field School in Maritime History and Underwater Research
HIST 6650: Management of Coastal Cultural Resources
HIST 6850: Field Research in Maritime History
