1595 JM - The Archaeological Ensemble of 17th Century Port Royal (2025)

The Archaeological Ensemble of 17th Century Port Royal

The town of Port Royal is located at the mouth of Kingston Harbour in southeastern Jamaica. It was a major 17th-century English port city. A devastating earthquake in 1692 submerged much of the town under water and sand. Today, its terrestrial and underwater remains offer rare insights into urban colonial life. Once a key hub for transatlantic trade—including the trade of enslaved Africans—Port Royal featured a deep-water port and six defensive forts, some now submerged. Archaeological evidence reveals a well-preserved layout of residential, religious, and administrative buildings, serving as a distinctive marker of British colonial presence in the Caribbean.

皇家港17世纪考古景观

皇家港坐落于牙买加东南部、金斯敦港湾入海口，是17世纪英国在加勒比地区的重要港市。1692年，一场毁灭性的地震使其大部分没入海水与沙层之中，如今残存于陆上和水下的遗迹为了解殖民时期的城市生活风貌提供了罕见素材。作为曾经的跨大西洋贸易（包括非洲奴隶贸易）的一大枢纽，皇家港拥有1座深水港口与6座防御工事，部分现已淹没。考古证据呈现了保存完好的住宅、宗教与行政建筑格局，成为加勒比地区英国殖民史的独特标志。

Source UNESCO WH website http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1595