You updated your password.

Reset Password

Enter the email address you used to create your account. We will email you instructions on how to reset your password.

Forgot Your Email Address? Contact Us

Underwater Archaeology: Mysteries of the Deep

Dive into the thrilling world of underwater archaeology in this globe-spanning course and explore sunken cities, fabulous shipwrecks, and other astonishing treasures of history beneath the oceans and waterways of our planet.
 
 
Rated 1 out of 5 by from An untalented lecturer poorly directed Lemke's treatment of the topic is superficial, her organization of the course is haphazard, and worst of all, her speaking style is extremely stilted and yet so prone to irrelevant digressions that I cannot fully discount the possibility that this course was written with AI assistance. Come to think of it, that would actually make perfect sense. There is also no discussion of archeological ethics, which in this day and age is a serious omission. I watched this course to the end, but a suggest that you do not.
Date published: 2025-10-17
Rated 2 out of 5 by from Very basic This course is very basic and would be great for a fourth or fifth grade class. I found the professor to be rather boring.
Date published: 2025-10-13
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Everything I wanted! I first wrote a review for this course when it was just a pilot. I had enthusiastically asked for more. I wanted the professor to discuss Uluburun, Heracleion, Antikythera, Lake Titicaca, Port Royal, Antirhodos, Atlit-Yam, Titanic, and the Queen Anne's Revenge. She covered all of them! I feel fully heard. Thank you so much, Professor Lemke. I hope you read these reviews. This is the course I had been waiting for. I'm so glad underwater archaeology is becoming a big thing. It's my absolute favourite new topic. I will always be grateful for what you taught me. For everyone else, this is a solid addition to TGC+. One of the better ones that's come out in the last 3 years, if I may say so. It's definitely a niche topic, but the thrill of discovery can entice anyone.
Date published: 2025-06-10
Rated 5 out of 5 by from More courses like this, please Prof Lemke is well spoken and very knowledgeable about underwater archaeology. The organization of the class (lectures on sunken ships, planes, cities, etc) is well done. I would have liked more about Asian finds; most of the material focused on US and European sites. Would like further courses organized geographically.
Date published: 2025-06-04
Rated 4 out of 5 by from Timely subject, so many excellences; some errors Underwater archaeology is the 'cool' area of archaeology and the poorest known, so this class was an excellent addition to the science lineup. [Disclosure, I have a doctorate in anthropology, focusing on biological anthro and did a lot of contract archaeology during grad student and early career days.] Changing water levels through the eons means that a lot of human history is currently under water. This prof explains the value of oxygen-poor water for preserving, which most people don't know. She uses the professional BCE/CE dates, kudos. The choice of topics is not just the Mediterranean basin, kudos. Covers every popular tech used in UW archy; covers all the most important subjects, kudos. Some visuals (but not enough; way too much of her face when she's talking about very visual subjects). Well-designed pedagogically. Some factual errors and some clearly-politically chosen word choices, NOT good, hence the 4 not 5. 1. Spell it NeanderTAL (not thal), unless you are specifically citing the official species name. ALWAYS pronounced TAL. Always, always, always. "Thal" comes from the German for valley, the Neander Valley where it was found, and German pronounces 'thal' as TAL. 2. For the past quarter-century, since the Neandertal genome was derived, the scientific consensus revised the earlier mistake of calling this species a subspecies of Homo sapiens. They are a separate species. 3. Shocked to hear her call a tsunami a 'tidal wave.' That mistake was corrected a half-century ago, and the correct term for the killer wave that follows an undersea earthquake or mass landslide is now known by schoolkids all around the world. What happens in the Bay of Fundy is a wave caused by a tide - hence correctly a 'tidal wave.' 4. Mischaracterized the mass-slavers of Europe, the Vikings. They had the 2nd busiest slave market in Europe (counting Byzantium as European) in Dublin, a town created not really to trade in other goods, but as the center of raids to enslave Irish children, women and young men - a million at a conservative estimate. Two million Eastern Europeans captured and enslaved along the major rivers. All sold to the Middle East, via the market in Byzantium. Slaves. Enslaved. The popular cultural constant around the world and throughout history, until the 19th century. So why are the Vikings taking 'prisoners' while the S-word is completely absent? The Vikings weren't enslaving as a side-gig to other product trading; slaving was their only goal for several centuries. Some Black activists don't want any other slaves than their ancestors called slaves, but scientists have an obligation to Truth, not pandering to slanted political narratives. White Vikings enslaved White Irish and Eastern Europeans and sold them as usually-lifelong powerless chattel, millions of them. 5. Co-opting biological anthro as part of archy instead of a respected and separate sub-field of anthropology was no mistake. We all know that if you want to get research funding, it helps to be part of the 'cool new toys' of your field. DNA is the magic stone! So archaeology, which is artifacts, NOT biology, has to focus on underwater to be 'cool.' But referring to DNA studies as done by archaeologists is beyond the grey area of 'pitching.' Human remains, human fossils (which are mineralized/rock, not bone, by the way) and the DNA from bladder cells that can survive in caves where hominins urinate, is biological anthro and only a bio-anthro or other geneticist can study them. Archys can dig artifacts and study them. A 'bio-archaeologist' had better have a graduate degree in both bio/genetics and archaeology! I worked as a contract archaeologist and was qualified to determine if bones or fossils were human or not, and pack them for lab study, etc. but without me, the team would have to call a bio/forensics anthro to the site. Many local forensics examiners had degrees in bio-anthropology, BTW, when I was working. Presenting the field as different than what it is? Not what I would have expected for a person of her credentials, who has to know what the truth is. Fudging on a grant proposal, questionable. In a class? No. This class is so potentially exciting and the prof did so many things so well, when she stayed inside her Underwater Archaeology subject. But her misinformation really should not have been allowed to stand. I would recommend only if someone is handed this review, and is aware of the errors.
Date published: 2025-05-27
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Go deep! I thoroughly enjoyed this course, and I was surprised by the number of sites discovered during the past 40 years. One improvement would be to display the names of the underwater sites on the screen. I had to consult the course guide afterward for spelling.
Date published: 2025-05-27
Rated 2 out of 5 by from Limited Information I did not finish this series because it got so repetitious but lacked details. Repeatedly spoke of the wonders of under water archeology and all the information that can be obtained from it, but rarely gave any details of that information obtained. For example, often she related that under water archeology provides information of how people lived but never got down to how they did live or what information was obtained. I left feeling empty. I walked away feeling that I didn't learn as much I could have.
Date published: 2025-05-20
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Really Enjoyed this Course Although my degree is in Aeronautics, and a career aviator, I have always enjoyed history. I have well over 200 Great Courses, many of them history based. I also have my advanced open water diver certification. As such, this course really resonated with me, and I found every video interesting, and a joy to watch.
Date published: 2025-05-10
  • y_2025, m_12, d_4, h_7
  • bvseo_bulk, prod_bvrr, vn_bulk_3.0.42
  • cp_1, bvpage1
  • co_hasreviews, tv_0, tr_14
  • loc_en_CA, sid_30730, prod, sort_[SortEntry(order=SUBMISSION_TIME, direction=DESCENDING)]
  • clientName_teachco
  • bvseo_sdk, p_sdk, 3.2.1
  • CLOUD, getReviews, 9.03ms
  • REVIEWS, PRODUCT
Underwater Archaeology: Mysteries of the Deep

Trailer

How Underwater Archaeology Works

01: How Underwater Archaeology Works

Begin the course with an overview of this exciting field. Learn about key areas of study, such as maritime, nautical, and submerged site archaeology. Preview the great range of underwater archaeology sites and learn how the field itself developed. Look at the cutting-edge technology underwater archaeologists use, such as sonar and robotics, and how underwater research is conducted.

31 min
Sunken Cities of the Ancient Mediterranean

02: Sunken Cities of the Ancient Mediterranean

Discover Pavlopetri (Greece), an ancient city submerged by earthquakes, and find evidence of its great textile industry and trade. Continue with Apollonia (Libya), with its structures and port remarkably preserved underwater. Then, visit Baiae, a sunken Roman resort town with richly decorated villas, and end with Egypt’s Thonis-Heracleion and Antirhodos, revealing temples, palaces, and statuary.

27 min
Submerged Traces of Early Human Migration

03: Submerged Traces of Early Human Migration

See what underwater archaeology can tell us about prehistoric humanity. Learn how coastlines have changed markedly over the millennia and how many early humans lived in areas that are now underwater. Explore underwater sites revealing artifacts, settlements, and human remains in South Africa, Australia, and the Americas, shedding new light on the amazing story of ancient migration.

28 min
Pirates, Plunderers, and Mutineers

04: Pirates, Plunderers, and Mutineers

Visit the sunken city of Port Royal in Jamaica, submerged by an earthquake in 1692, and encounter the many artifacts that portray life in a historic haven for both privateers and pirates. Then, uncover the shipwreck of the Queen Anne’s Revenge and learn about the day-to-day life of the fearsome Blackbeard and his pirates. Finish at the Australian wreck of the Batavia, the site of a tragic mutiny.

28 min
Viking Ships and Stone Age Danes

05: Viking Ships and Stone Age Danes

The history of early Scandinavian peoples is vividly preserved underwater. Explore the remarkable Danish site of the Skuldelev ships, five Viking era ships of different types that were recovered and preserved using cutting-edge methods. Then, view the Mesolithic site of Tybrind Vig, a submerged prehistoric village, and extraordinary finds on Doggerland, a sunken continent that connected Britain to Europe.

29 min
Cold Water Archaeology

06: Cold Water Archaeology

Investigate how archaeological work is done in cold and deep water. In arctic waters, find the Erebus and the Terror, two submerged ships lost in the 1840s with artifacts amazingly preserved by the cold and depth. Then, locate the Endurance in the Antarctic, the intact lost ship of the 1914 Shackleton expedition, and the remains of an Ice Age caribou hunting culture in Lake Huron.

27 min
Ritual Sites and Votive Offerings

07: Ritual Sites and Votive Offerings

Travel to underwater sites containing “ritual deposits,” symbolic or religious offerings placed in water. Study Lake Titicaca in the Andes mountains, revealing religious offerings of the Inca and pre-Inca peoples. Uncover lavish votive objects in cenotes (sinkholes) in Mexico and the Caribbean, as well as in peat bogs in Europe, and find evidence of an ancient mortuary cult in Florida.

29 min
Shipwrecks and Nautical Archaeology

08: Shipwrecks and Nautical Archaeology

Encounter the Uluburun, an elite Bronze Age ship found near Turkey, and the ancient Antikythera (Greece), then track the techniques used in their excavations and the astonishing artifacts and history recovered. Then, uncover the warship Vasa (Sweden), renowned for its incredible state of preservation, and the French La Belle (Gulf of Mexico), fascinating time capsules of 17th century life.

31 min
Sunken Warships: Treasure Troves of History

09: Sunken Warships: Treasure Troves of History

Assess the remarkable legacy of lost warships in examples from the American Civil War and World War II. Study the fate and recovery of the Monitor, the Union Navy’s first ironclad ship, and the Hunley, the Confederates’ groundbreaking submarine. In World War II, trace historic wrecks from the Battle of the Atlantic and major archaeological work focusing on the Pacific’s Battle of Saipan.

29 min
Sea Level Rise and Submerged Villages

10: Sea Level Rise and Submerged Villages

Chart the phenomenon of changing sea levels and rich underwater finds of human prehistory. Visit Atlit Yam in Israel, a sunken village whose incredible artifacts vividly portray Neolithic life, and the fascinating Mesolithic Bouldnor Cliff site in England. In Europe and Scotland, encounter “pile dwellings” (stilt houses) and crannogs, sophisticated early human settlements on inland waterways.

28 min
In Search of Ancient Seafarers

11: In Search of Ancient Seafarers

Who were the first seafarers? Investigate this question by looking first at indirect evidence—prehistoric land sites in the Mediterranean, East Timor, and Japan that show clear evidence of boating technology. Then, uncover the oldest boats ever found, dating from Mesolithic and Neolithic times, and locate the world’s oldest shipwreck—a remarkably intact 2400-year-old Greek trading vessel.

27 min
The Future of the Underwater Past

12: The Future of the Underwater Past

Conclude with a look at underwater archaeological work focusing on peoples whose stories have been marginalized or underrepresented. Follow the work of organizations excavating shipwrecks such as the São José Paquete d’Africa, an 18th century vessel carrying enslaved Africans, and work in Wisconsin with Native American groups on recovering ancient canoes linked to their oral history traditions.

35 min

Overview Course No. 30730

The work of archaeology uncovers fascinating vestiges of humanity’s past, greatly enriching our knowledge of our ancestors and ourselves. Over the last century, archaeologists have increasingly ventured underwater, making spellbinding finds and opening an incredible new frontier for archaeological discovery.

In the 12 delightful and eye-opening lectures of Underwater Archaeology: Mysteries of the Deep, Professor Lemke, an expert underwater archaeologist working in the field, invites you to discover astonishing treasures of history that lie beneath the waves, such as:

  • Cities Beneath the Waters. Discover sunken cities such as Antirhodos (Egypt), revealing a submerged royal palace and a temple to Isis; the drowned city of Port Royal in Jamaica, an extraordinary time capsule of 17th century life; and more.
  • The Stunning Lore of Shipwrecks. Encounter the Uluburun, a Bronze Age ship laden with luxury objects; the massive 17th century Swedish warship Vasa; the Queen Anne’s Revenge, vessel of the feared pirate Blackbeard; and many others.
  • Life in Mesolithic and Neolithic Times. Visit the submerged Mesolithic villages of Tybrind Vig in Denmark and Bouldnor Cliff in England and discover Neolithic-era wooden boats found underwater in Italy.
  • Archaeology in Cold Water. Follow archaeologists using sonar who uncovered stone hunting blinds used by Ice Age caribou hunters, along with the team that used remotely operated vehicles to find the Endurance, a ship lost in the Antarctic in 2743 meters of water.
  • Underwater Finds of the Modern Era. Study discoveries at key 20th century sites. Among many, delve into the excavation of the Titanic and track major work in the Pacific, recovering submerged aircraft, landing craft, and shipwrecks from the World War II battle of Saipan.

In Underwater Archaeology: Mysteries of the Deep you’ll travel into a new domain for archaeological work, finding lost worlds and compelling perspectives on our shared human past.

About

Ashley Lemke

Just as the world's oceans are deep and vast, so is the record they contain.

INSTITUTION

University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee

Ashley Lemke is an archaeologist and an Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. She received her PhD in Anthropology from the University of Michigan. An expert on submerged ancient sites in the Americas, she has received grants from the National Science Foundation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Her books include Anthropological Archaeology Underwater and The Architecture of Hunting. She previously taught at the University of Texas at Arlington, where she received the President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching and the Outstanding Teaching Award for Tenure Track Faculty and was inducted into the Academy of Distinguished Teachers. She is also a Fellow of The Explorers Club and a past chair of the Advisory Council on Underwater Archaeology.

By This Professor

Underwater Archaeology: Mysteries of the Deep
854