AquaTerra Archaeology is an independent archaeological consultancy founded by Willem De Cuyper, providing professional support to archaeological companies and heritage organisations on land and underwater.

We offer flexible expertise in the coordination and execution of archaeological projects — from project support and fieldwork supervision to archaeological reporting and specialised research.

Willem holds a Master’s degree in Archaeology and has built professional experience across the Belgian archaeological sector, as well as on international projects in the Netherlands and Germany. In addition to terrestrial archaeology, he specialises in maritime and underwater archaeology: through training and field experience as a certified commercial diver, he supports archaeological investigations in submerged environments and coastal contexts.

Alongside this commercial work, Willem conducts independent research into Belgian shipwrecks located in foreign waters — identifying, documenting, and spatially analysing Belgian wrecks in foreign waters dating mainly from the First and Second World Wars. The project includes a growing database of identified wrecks, developed within a GIS-based spatial framework. Read more about this research in the blog section.

By combining fieldwork experience, research expertise, and international collaboration, AquaTerra Archaeology contributes to the professional execution, documentation, and protection of archaeological heritage — on land and in water.

Education

Bachelor in Archaeology of the Pre-and Protohistory

Bachelor paper: Analysis of ceramics of Grenada: a study on provenance
Supervisor: prof. doc. Patrick Degryse

This paper focusses on the colonial ceramics found on an excavation on Grenada in 2016. The aim was to find the provenance of the colonial ceramics and to create an idea of the European trade in the region. This was accomplished through a study of the literature and a macroscopic and microscopic analysis of the material.

Master in Archaeology of the Pre- and Protohistory

Master Thesis: Belgian shipwrecks in foreign waters – a preliminary overview and case study
Supervisor: prof. doc. Bart Vanmontfort
Co-supervisor: doc. Marnix Pieters

The aim of this thesis was to make a first overview of Belgian shipwrecks in foreign waters. The shipwrecks were collected in a database, with descriptions and links to the sources. To create this overview, mainly foreign databases were consulted (ex. Drassm in Marseille). The locations were plotted on a map, created with the GIS software QGIS. Lastly, two case studies were formulated in how to manage such sites and how it can serve the public interest.

Experience

Below, a combined overview of the projects of AquaTerra Archaeology bv and WDC Archaeology.

• Archaeological Diver / Watching Brief — Trident Archäologie, Lubmin & Rostock (Germany), 2023–2025
  Archaeological monitoring and diving support during works in the Baltic Sea.
• Archaeologist — In Terra Veritas, Nuremberg (Germany), 2024
  Excavation of one of the largest mass graves discovered in Europe.
• Archaeologist — Archol BV, Weert (Netherlands), 2023–2024
  Excavation of Bronze/Iron Age graves and a medieval settlement.
• Archaeologist — various Belgian archaeological companies (Group Vanvooren, Abo nv, BAAC Vlaanderen, Group Monument), 2024–present
  Fieldwork and site supervision across excavation projects in Flanders
• Archaeological research — BAAC Vlaanderen, 2026
  Waterbound and maritime archaeology contribution to the research survey “Conflictarcheologie van de 20ste eeuw in Vlaanderen” (20th-century conflict archaeology in Flanders).

Certification

• BOSIET certificate FMTC B.V.
• Basic Elements of Safety SCC (VCA vol) BeSaCC-VCA
• Surface supplied diver inshore and offshore NYD subsea training center
• First aid NYD subsea training center
• Erkend Archeoloog type 1 Flanders OE/ERK/Archeoloog/2025/00012
• KNA Archeoloog MA (The Netherlands)

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