Maritime Cultural Heritage - Is it important? A perspective from the Gulf

Dr Lucy Blue is a senior lecture and director of the Centre for Maritime Archaeology at the University of Southampton. Dr Blue has worked as a maritime archaeologist for over twenty years and her research is largely focused around the eastern Mediterranean, Red Sea, Indian Ocean and the Arabian Gulf where she specialises in harbour archaeology, maritime ethnography, and maritime trade particularly through the lens of shipwreck archaeology and coastal landscapes. Besides co-directing a range of maritime archaeological projects in Egypt, India, Montenegro and the UAE, she has recently been engaged in developing capacity for maritime archaeology and coastal heritage in the Arab region (MAST Maritime Archaeological Stewardship Trust). Dr Blue is also passionate about communicating archaeology to wider audiences and is an active member, former chair and vice president of the Nautical Archaeology Society and was a presenter on the BBC series Oceans