Short overview about the AMLA for our international visitors
AMLA is short for "Study group for maritime and limnic archaeology"
In early 1997 a group of students from the Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel got together to found the working group for maritime and limnic archaeology. They were lead by the professors A. Haffner and M. Müller-Wille.
To date the group has carried out independent researches and has participated at scientific conferences for underwater archaeology; for example in Saßnitz (IKUWA) in 1999, at the DEGUWA conference “In Poseidons Reich 5” in 2000 and the conference AKUWA in 2003. Also the group has been involved in diving attempts with the regional authorities of Schleswig Holstein (Landesamt), the archaeological state museum of Schleswig Holstein (ALM), the Leibniz Institute for oceanic sciences IFM-GEOMAR and the scientific diving center at the Kiel University.
The methodological interest of the study group is mainly the synthesis of land- and underwater archaeology. The object of the scientific work is the maritime or limnic cultural landscape which is to be constructed.
The cultural landscape in this case means the alternating effect between the natural environment and the various manifestations of human activity. In a maritime or rather limnic cultural landscape the waters are the shaping element.
Which consequences do these settlements have retrospectively on the coastal region?
Before any work can commence the group has to carry out surveys both over and under water using terrestrial and sub aquatic work methods.
The aim of AMLA is to ensure that the findings of their work are made available to both universities and the general public. In May 2007 for AMLA’s 10th anniversary a conference took place in the Institute for prehistoric archaeology. Sport divers were also invited to attend this conference to ensure they were aware of the latest projects in underwater archaeology in Schleswig-Holstein.