C9557 - ARCHEOLOGIA ED ETNOGRAFIA DELLA NAVIGAZIONE

Learning outcomes

The course aims to provide knowledge in the field of nautical archaeology, history of navigation and seamanship (navigation techniques), as well as in the field of nautical ethnography, both for the study, protection and development of the tangible and intangible heritage and as comparative field of investigation for the historical-archaeological context. By the end of the course, students will acquire the methodological tools for the knowledge of ships and seafaring on an archaeological, historical and ethnographic level; they will have knowledge of the sources, the technical and structural characteristics of ships, the methods for studying wrecks, the shipbuilding, the rigging, the navigation at sea and in inland waters, the maritime culture, the maritime commercial and military activities.

Course contents

The course aims to provide the methodological tools and content necessary for the study of nautical archaeology, nautical ethnography, and nautical science, employing an approach that integrates archaeology, history, and ethnography. Topics range from the study of vessels and their equipment to navigation techniques, and from hull construction methods to trade routes and voyages of exploration.
- Nautical archaeology and nautical ethnography: definitions, history, and sources.
- The significance of navigation in the historical, economic, technical, and social development of the ancient world.
- Vessels typology from the origins to Late Antiquity. Diachronic analysis of hull development—from primitive to complex types—within the Greek, Phoenician-Punic, and Roman worlds. Transport ships, warships, and service vessels, including their steering systems, propulsion systems, and essential equipment.
- Analysis and interpretation of shipwrecks. Investigation methodology and case studies. Principles and techniques of shipbuilding, from the origins through the Roman era to the changes occurring between Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages.
- Types of ancient sails, their evolution, and their relationship to the ethnographic context. Sail maneuvers and navigation. Oar-based propulsion and naval combat tactics in the ancient world.
- Traditional seamanship as both tangible and intangible heritage, as well as a significant field of comparative study in history and archaeology. Traditional Adriatic vessels: main types, functions, and geographical distribution. Preservation and promotion of maritime ethnographic heritage, ranging from conservation to the continuity of tradition.
- Navigation in antiquity: maritime trade modes and trade routes; voyages of exploration to the edges of the known world.
- Ancient and traditional seamanship: navigation techniques, orientation at sea, practical meteorology, and the "seafaring sense" of those who sailed. What remains in the written sources: ancient literature and historical-archaeological evidence. Definitions and distinctions regarding "periploi" (coastal itineraries), "portolans" (pilot books), and travel accounts. Chronicle of a shipwreck.

Readings/Bibliography

Preparation for the course examination

Students attending lectures: are required to study one of the listed textbooks; read and comment on the specified historical source; and study their lecture notes.

Textbooks (choose one):

P. Janni, Il mare degli antichi, Edizioni Dedalo, Bari 1996

S. Medas, Archeologia della navigazione. Il Mediterraneo antico, Carocci, Rome 2024 (printed book + online supplementary material: https://www.carocci.it/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Medas_online_def.pdf?srsltid=AU7gw4WdHv5a8iFe-DbBAedM_IPD7BRt559h-MbX9wZmR91PyFF2I5HN)

A. Musarra, Medioevo marinaro. Prendere il mare nell'Italia medievale, Il Mulino, Bologna 2021

L. Casson, Ships and Seamanship in the Ancient World, The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London 1995 (earlier or later editions are also acceptable).

P. Pomey, E. Rieth, L’Archéologie Navale, Editions Errance, Paris 2005.

M. Marzari, Trabaccoli e pieleghi nella marineria tradizionale dell’Adriatico, Mursia, Milan 1988 (and subsequent editions).

P.G. Zanetti (ed.), I mestieri del fiume. Uomini e mezzi della navigazione (Terra d’Este – Rivista di storia e cultura, Year VIII, No. 15/16, 1998), Cierre Grafica, Sommacampagna (VR) 1999.


Reading and commentary on the following ancient source (in English translation)—Paul of Tarsus’s voyage from Caesarea to Rome: Acts of the Apostles, 27–28.


Students not attending lectures: are required the study one textbook of their choice from those listed above and read the historical source mentioned above, in addition to studying all five thematic articles listed below:

S. Medas, Il naufragio di San Paolo a Malta (Atti degli Apostoli, 27): tra la vita e la morte sul mare, in Phicaria - VI Encuentros Internacionales del Mediterráneo. Navegar el Mediterráneo, M.M. Ros Sala, J.M. López Ballesta (Eds.), Mazarrón 2018, pp. 38–52.

S. Ricca Rosellini, Dalla vela latina alla vela al terzo dell'Adriatico, in La Ricerca Folklorica, 21, April 1990, pp. 29–41.

S. Medas, La navigazione tardo-arcaica in Adriatico. l’iconografia navale e la peculiarità della tradizione nautica, in Cuadernos de Prehistoria y Arqueología de la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 42, 2016, pp. 143–166.

G. Boetto, I.K. Uhač, M. Uhač, Sewn Ships from Istria (Croatia): the shipwrecks of Zambratija and Pula, in J. Litwin (ed.), Baltic and Beyond. Change and continuity in shipbuilding. Proceedings of the Fourteenth International Symposium on Boat and Ship Archaeology (Gdańsk 2015), National Maritime Museum, Gdańsk 2017, pp. 189–198.

P. Pomey, "Defining a ship: architecture, function and human space," in A. Catsambis, B. Ford, D.L. Hamilton (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Maritime Archaeology, Oxford University Press, Oxford 2011, pp. 25–46.


All the students are expected to have at least a general knowledge of the chronology of key historical events and the geography of the locations mentioned in lectures and in the texts selected for exam preparation. This entails, for example, being able to place an ancient author—whose work has served as a source for studying specific themes (e.g., Herodotus, Strabo, Polybius, Livy)—within their historical period; being able to contextualize historical phases discussed in class (e.g., the Classical period, the Roman Republican era, Late Antiquity) as well as the specific historical events highlighted; and being familiar with the geographical contexts referenced in lectures and study materials (e.g., locating seas, countries, regions, and cities—both ancient and modern). Students are therefore advised to supplement their studies by consulting chronological charts, a historical atlas, and a geographical atlas.

The professor is available to provide clarification or address any specific needs.

Teaching methods

Lectures supported by visual aids and the guided reading of excerpts from ancient and modern texts.

Class attendance is recommended, as the course involves interaction and active participation regarding the topics under study.

Students with specific interests or a desire to explore particular topics in greater depth may request bibliographic guidance from the professor and, if appropriate, agree upon an alternative text to those listed.

Students requiring compensatory tools due to disabilities or specific learning disorders (SLD) may inform the professor of their needs; they will then be directed to the relevant contact persons to arrange for the most appropriate accommodations.

Assessment methods

The examination consists of an oral test designed to assess basic knowledge and a proper understanding of the topics covered in lectures and course texts. It will also evaluate the student's ability to engage in critical discussion and argumentation regarding the issues at hand, as well as the quality of their presentation and their ability to structure a logically sound and formally coherent argument.

The final grade is based on the student's overall level of preparation, critical insight and independence in interpreting issues, the logic and clarity of their presentation, and their active participation in lectures. For non-attending students, particular emphasis will be placed on the ability to utilize bibliographic resources to develop a critical understanding of the themes and issues—an understanding achieved independently rather than through rote memorization. In summary, the following criteria will apply:

- Failing grade: lack of basic knowledge and inability to correctly interpret the topics covered in lectures and the assigned texts;

- Passing grade (18–22): possession of basic knowledge; interpretation is largely correct but contains inaccuracies and shows limited independence;

- Good grade (23–27): possession of intermediate-level basic knowledge, acquired critically rather than through rote memorization; interpretation is fully correct but not always precise or independently developed;

- Excellent grade (28–30 with honors): high level of basic knowledge and mastery of lecture content; correct interpretation of issues; arguments presented with precision and independence; excellent oral communication skills.

Teaching tools

PowerPoint, images, maps, graphic surveys, texts.

Office hours

See the website of Stefano Medas