98983 - Maritime Archaeology

Learning outcomes

The course focuses the study on the relationship between ancient man, the sea and inland waters, from an integrated perspective between archaeology, history and ethnography. The aim is to make the student able to use the methodological tools related to the topics of nautical archaeology, seamanship (with particular reference to navigation techniques) and the more general interaction between man, the marine environment and the maritime landscape (coasts and coastal settlements). The course also includes the study of the applications and techniques of underwater archaeology, as a primary investigation tool in service of maritime archaeology.

Course contents

The course aims to provide the methodological tools and content necessary for the study of maritime archaeology. It analyzes—in the broadest sense—the relationship between humans and the sea and inland waters over time, spanning from early origins through antiquity and into subsequent eras, using a comparative analysis of archaeological, historical, and ethnographic data. The main thematic areas are as follows:

- maritime archaeology: definitions and contexts, within a framework where archaeological, historical, and ethnographic disciplines and techniques converge and interact, with specific reference to maritime and inland navigation;

- submerged landscapes, coastal landscapes, and maritime archaeology: elements for a comprehensive study of the territory and the interaction between human activities and the aquatic environment (sea and inland waters); how and why coastal landscapes change;

- lagoons in the ancient world and their evolution over time: territories situated between land and water that—more so in the past than today—shaped Mediterranean coastal landscapes; their role in navigation as connecting zones between maritime trade and inland waterway networks; settlement patterns, infrastructure, and the exploitation of lagoon resources; fieldwork methodology in underwater and wetland environments; aspects of continuity over time and the ethnographic context;

- ports in the ancient world: cases studies of Carthage and Rome;

- introduction to the study of ships and navigation in the ancient world, through an integrated approach combining archaeology, history, and ethnography; shipwrecks and their formation processes, discovery contexts, states of preservation, and investigation methods; naval iconography, written sources, and traditional seamanship.

Readings/Bibliography

Preparation for the course examination

Students attending lectures

Study of one selected textbook from the list below, reading and commentary on the specified historical source, and study of lecture notes.

Textbooks (including edited volumes and conference proceedings containing contributions on the topics mentioned above):

S. Medas, Nautica antica. Itinerari nel mondo della navigazione, tra storia, archeologia ed etnografia, «L’Erma» di Bretschneider, Rome 2022.

C. Beltrame, Archeologia marittima del Mediterraneo. Navi, merci e porti dall’antichità all’età moderna, Carocci, Rome 2012.

P. Pomey (ed.), La navigation dans l’Antiquité, Édisud, Aix-en-Provence 1997.

R. Secci (ed.), Archeologia delle acque. Uomini, navigazione, commerci e paesaggi costieri tra oriente e occidente. Atti del Congresso Internazionale (Ravenna, 24-25 gennaio 2022), Agorà & Co., Lugano 2023 (Byrsa. Scritti sull’Antico Oriente mediterraneo, 43/44).

C.S. Fioriello, F. Tassaux (eds.), I paesaggi costieri dell'Adriatico tra Antichità e Altomedioevo. Atti della Tavola Rotonda di Bari (22-23 maggio 2017), Ausonius, Bordeaux 2019.

Volume no. 47 (2023) of the journal Rivista di Archeologia (volume dedicated to lagoon archaeology).


Reading and commentary on the following ancient source (in English translation): Strabo, Geography, Book V, Chapter 1, paragraphs 5–8 (description of the Po Delta, the coastline, the territory, and the cities). 

 

Students non-attending lectures

study of one textbook chosen from the list provided above and reading and commentary of the aforementioned historical source, in addition to the study of all five thematic articles listed below:

M. Marano, Mestieri e competenze per il lavoro in mare nel Mediterraneo antico, in R. Martorelli (ed.), Ancient and modern knowledges: Transmission of models and techniques in the artistic and handicraft products in Sardinia through the centuries, UNICApress, Cagliari 2022, pp. 51-73.

S. Medas, Le vie d’acqua nell’Italia settentrionale. Il paesaggio della navigazione interna e le imbarcazioni, tra antichità e tradizione, in F. Carbotti, D. Gangale Risoleo, E. Iacopini, F. Pizzimenti, I. Raimondo (eds), Landscape 3: una sintesi di elementi diacronici Uomo e ambiente nel mondo antico: un equilibrio possibile?, Archaeopress, Oxford 2023, pp. 79-102.

E. Cirelli, Roma sul mare e il porto augusteo di Classe, in F. Boschi (ed.), Ravenna e l'Adriatico dalle origini all'età romana, Centro Studi per l'Archeologia dell'Adriatico, Ante Quem, Bologna 2013, pp. 109-121.

E. Felici, La topografia antica litoranea. Argomenti e metodi, in G.B. Felici, E. Felici, L. Lanteri (eds), Produzioni antiche sulla costa sud-orientale della Sicilia. Saggi di topografia antica litoranea, Edipuglia, Bari 2020, pp. 13-33.

G. F. Bass, The development of maritime archaeology, in A. Catsambis, B. Ford, And D. Hamilton (eds), The Oxford Handbook of Maritime Archaeology, Oxford University Press, New York 2011, pp. 3-22.

 

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 with the support of images and commented reading of passages from ancient and modern texts.

Attendance at lectures, which also are held through interaction and active participation in the study topics, is recommended.

Students with particular interests or who wish to study specific topics in depth may request bibliographical informations from the professor and, if necessary, agree on an alternative text to those indicated.

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 is performed by means of an oral test, through which basic knowledge and correct understanding of the topics addressed during the lectures and those contained in the texts will be verified. The ability to critically discuss and argue problems will then be tested, as well as the quality of the exposition and the ability to organise a well-structured logical and formal discourse.

The final assessment is based on the student's general level of knowledge, his or her critical capacity and autonomy in interpreting the problems, the exposition logic and clarity, and active participation in the lessons. For non-attending students, particular attention will be paid to the ability in using bibliographical tools and, through these, to the ability in arriving at a critical awareness of topics and problems, autonomously and not mnemonically. In summary, the following principles will be adopted:

- not-sufficient grade: lack of basic knowledge and inability to formulate correct interpretations of the topics discussed in class and the text(s) studied;

- grade sufficient (18-22): possession of basic knowledge; interpretation mostly correct, but developed with inaccuracies and little autonomy.

- good grade (23-27): possession of basic knowledge at an intermediate level, acquired critically and not mnemonically; interpretation fully correct, but not always precise and not always developed autonomously.

- excellent grade (28-30 cum laude): high level of basic knowledge and content developed during the lessons; correct interpretation of problems; topics explained with precision and autonomy; excellent oral expression ability.

Teaching tools

PowerPoint, images, maps, graphical surveys, texts.

Office hours

See the website of Stefano Medas