Från färdmedel till kyrkogård : Problematik inom etik vid studier och bevaring av skeppsvrak med mänskliga kvarlevor

Sammanfattning: This paper will focus on marine archaeology as a discipline, mainly from the perspective of shipwrecks that have been discovered with human remains. The analysis and interpretation will be based primarily on three specific shipwrecks within Swedish marine archaeology: Vasaskeppet, Kronan and Mars Makalös, all of which have and or are containing human skeletal remains. The ships have primarily been chosen for their provenience in archaeology and the fact that they have been subject to revisions and further discussions both in earlier decades as in the case with Vasa and ongoing modern projects such as in the case with Mars Makalös. The ships will be compared with each other in several ways but mainly concentrate on how their human remains have been handled.  Further topics will also involve how underwater cultural heritage are protected and what ups and downs follows the different methodologies, this will be relevant since shipwrecks containing human remains often face challenges on how they should be protected. Historical value and how this may affect the search and resources granted to expeditions will also be briefly discussed.      Source material will consist of texts in the form of field reports from the ships in question as well as general texts regarding marine archaeology and shipwrecks to get a brief overview of the subject and it´s development. Texts concerning ethical dilemmas surrounding human remains within shipwrecks will also be selected with both a perspective from Swedish archaeology and a more global perspective to provide relevant ground for further discussion. Email contact with people relevant to these ships or the theme in general will also form the ground for discussion and analysis.