This chapter examines the challenges associated with building research communities in a dynamic region with historic political, cultural, and ethnic tensions. It details the creation of research initiatives and cross-border collaborations...
moreThis chapter examines the challenges associated with building research communities in a dynamic region with historic political, cultural, and ethnic tensions. It details the creation of research initiatives and cross-border collaborations in Albania, Croatia, and Montenegro. It argues that 'capacity building' should be considered a dirty word and archaeological growth is best realized through a framework of equal partnerships on high-impact research projects. Furthermore, public interest both locally and abroad is necessary to sustain multiyear maritime archaeology projects and raise awareness about protecting underwater cultural heritage. Specifically, we discuss the Illyrian Coastal Exploration Program (ICEP). Since 2007, RPM Nautical Foundation (RPMNF) has been conducting deep water remote sensing and diver surveys along the eastern Adriatic Sea coastline, formerly the homeland of the Illyrian tribes and the Roman province of Illyricum. In 2008, RPMNF Director Dr Jeff Royal formed the ICEP as a group connecting research across modern political boundaries. ICEP has formed collaborations with several regional centres to offer workshops, field schools, and facilitate research. While the western coast of the Adriatic has over sixty years of research in maritime archaeology, the eastern Adriatic is relatively undocumented. Composed of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Albania, maritime archaeology is in its infancy in several of these countries. Croatia has led the way with many large-scale and innovative projects, but only a handful of projects have been undertaken in the other countries.
