Dr Tiago Fraga will be talking about one of his marine archaeology projects in Ria de Aveiro, a shallow coastal lagoon in the region of Aveiro, Portugal. Ria de Aveiro has the most significant concentration of shipwrecks in Portugal, the most famed of which is Ria de Aveiro A, a 15th century proto-caravel or 17th century clinker boat. Several other boats have also been found, some have been excavated and others await brave intrepid souls that can bring projects to their full completion. Other shipwrecks include Ria de Aveiro B/C, Ria de Aveiro D, E, F, G, H, I and J; soon the entire alphabet will be completed with the wrecks identified in these inner waters. Tiago's talk will navigate through Ria de Aveiro, its legends, folklore and its strange vessels. It will tell the happy and sad tales of some of the most iconic and mysterious shipwrecks of Portugal that lie on the seabed, some only 15cm deep.

Dr Tiago Miguel Fraga is the CEO of TMF, UNI. Ltd, an Archaeological Consultancy firm providing a wide range of services. These include archaeological monitoring, underwater archaeological surveying, 3-D reconstruction, geophysics and remote sensing and Asset Management. Tiago is an Archaeology Graduate from University of the Algarve (UAlg) and has an MA in Anthropology from Texas A&M University Nautical Archaeology Programme. He was part of the pioneering team of Centro de Operacões de Arqueologia Subaquatica – Expo 98, and worked as an archaeologist in the National Centre for Nautical and Underwater Archaeology. He was a Portuguese delegate in UNESCO for the convention on Underwater Cultural Heritage, was Graduate Assistant Non-Teaching at Texas A&M University and has more than 25 years of archaeological experience. He is an expert in computerised reconstruction of shipwrecks, a subject which he taught from 2009 to 2012, has lectured widely and published books and numerous articles. Tiago is the recipient of several awards, scholarships and fellowships such as from the National Geographic Society and Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. He is a certified scientific diver, a qualified cave and rescue diver, Master Scuba diver and Dive Master.

Non-members are welcome to attend AAA lectures for a 5 euro admission fee, with all money raised by the AAA being used for archaeological grants and speakers. For more information contact algarvearchass@gmail.com, visit arquealgarve.weebly.com or Facebook 'Algarve Archaeological Association' and Youtube: AlgarveAAA. Please check the website or facebook page for any last minute changes.

Press release by Jane Robertson