Meet The People
Maria Jacobsen
Senior Archaeologist
Maria Jacobsen is a Danish archaeologist with 27 years of experience in terrestrial as well as nautical archaeology. She has conducted fieldwork in northern Europe, the Near East, and in the United States. These projects have included excavation of Bronze Age maritime settlements in the eastern Mediterranean, the Kaş Wreck – perhaps the world’s oldest seagoing ship, excavation of the submerged harbor Caesarea, recovery of an intact 16th-century Dutch river boat, and the first sonar survey conducted of French explorer Robert de La Salle’s ship La Belle.
Prior to joining Clemson University, Jacobsen worked ten years with the Institute of Nautical Archaeology, a non-profit organization affiliated with the Nautical Archaeology Program at Texas A&M University. She has taught archaeology, anthropology, ancient ship reconstruction, languages, and her work has included the development of scientific publications, educational materials, exhibits, documentaries, and fundraising.
Currently Jacobsen is the senior archaeologist at the Warren Lasch Conservation Center directing the excavation of the Civil War submarine H. L. Hunley and related scientific studies. She plans and manages the interdisciplinary and collaborative study of the submarine’s crew, associated artifacts, and the hull. The work is conducted with research partners from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Smithsonian Institution, University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, National Medical Services, Coastal Carolina University, University of South Carolina, and College of Charleston, among other Federal, State, and private entities.
