Werz, Bruno E.J.S.2026-03-032026-03-032009Werz, B.E.J.S. 2009, ‘The Oranjemund shipwreck, Namibia. The excavation of sub-Saharan Africa’s oldest discovered wreck’, Journal of Namibian Studies, vol. 6, pp. 81-106.1863-5954 (print)2197-5523 (online)http://hdl.handle.net/2263/108719On 1 April 2008, parts of an historic shipwreck were unearthed during diamond-mining operations near Oranjemund, Namibia. Initial investigations undertaken during that same month indicated that it was, most probably, the remnants of an outward-bound Portuguese ship that foundered during the second quarter of the sixteenth century. The Oranjemund shipwreck is the oldest wreck ever found in sub-Saharan Africa and received world-wide attention in the media. After an initial survey was undertaken and a representative sample of artifacts and ecofacts recovered, the site was reburied. Following this, the Namibian Government stepped in and took control of the project. A Second Phase investigation was undertaken under supervision of the author during September and October 2008, resulting in full-scale excavation of the site. This article describes aspects of archaeological fieldwork.enSociety of Cultural Studies and Social Sciences, Hong KongShipwrecksOranjemund, NamibiaArticle