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Abstract: Abstract Tropical cyclones are among the most detrimental hazards to the environment, societies, and economies, each year affecting millions of people and resulting in substantial casualties and material destructions in coastal communities. In this context, maritime cultural heritage, encompassing material evidence for the engagement of people with the sea, both on land and under water, is particularly vulnerable. Despite the significant number of archaeological sites exposed to tropical cyclones and other extreme sea-level events, maritime cultural heritage in the MENA region is rarely included in coastal vulnerability indices or incorporated in mitigation strategies, disaster management, sustainability, and resilience policies. In this study we examine the impact of tropical cyclones on the maritime archaeology of Oman with emphasis on the Dhofar region. This paper builds on existing coastal research in the Dhofar region—an area identified as the most cyclone-prone administrative region in Oman, but also an area that contains substantial archaeological remains. Central among Dhofar’s maritime cultural heritage is Al-Baleed, a Medieval seaport with unparalleled evidence of engagement with international trade networks. PubDate: 2022-09-20
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Abstract: Abstract For millennia, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has been a culturally dynamic zone, bounded by maritime societies dependent on the sea for communication, trade and livelihoods. The archaeological evidence of these past societies represents an extraordinary physical legacy of human endeavour and presence across this region, contributing to senses of place, identity and belonging amongst contemporary coastal communities. However, the coastal landscapes and marine environment of the MENA region are undergoing a period of profound change, associated with large-scale human development and climate change. In order to assess this change and the level of impact on the resource, the Maritime Endangered Archaeology project (MarEA) was established in 2019 to document cultural heritage sites and landscapes across the coastal and near-shore zones of the survey region. This paper introduces the work of the project and outlines a series of case studies presented in this volume that are representative of the variety and depth of work being undertaken within the project. PubDate: 2022-09-20
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Abstract: Abstract The archaeology and heritage of South Sinai is rich and varied. Most research to date has focused on the High Mountains, specifically the area around the famous St Catherine’s Monastery, placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2002 (Saint Catherine Area, World Heritage Site 954). Recently, the Sinai Peninsula Research and the Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa projects have focused on the landscape surrounding the St Catherine’s Monastery. These projects highlighted the wealth of archaeological and heritage sites spanning the prehistoric to modern periods, including sites that are still in use by local communities today, as well as the environmental and anthropogenic factors that threaten their survival, such as climate change, tourism, and the impact of infrastructure developments. By contrast, the archaeology and heritage of the coastal areas was never surveyed systematically until the research presented in this paper. Remote sensing work by the Maritime Endangered Archaeology project revealed a coastal landscape that is likewise rich in archaeological and heritage sites. As in the High Mountains, many of the coastal sites are under significant threat, but they do not enjoy the same level of recognition and protection. This paper compares the coastal sites to those in the High Mountains, including their disturbances and threats, and demonstrates the need for a locally specific heritage management and protection strategy for different parts of South Sinai. PubDate: 2022-09-20
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Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Abstract: Abstract This paper introduces the Cyrenaica Coastal Survey (CCS), a collaborative project between the Maritime Endangered Archaeology project and the Department of Antiquities (DoA) Cyrenaica in partnership with the Universities of Al Bayda and Benghazi in Libya. Since the Arab Spring in 2011 and the subsequent civil unrest in Libya, heritage professionals, the DoA, and various individuals interested in heritage have struggled to safeguard heritage sites across the country, as policies and laws that protected archaeological sites were no longer reinforced and adhered to in the wake of the revolution. This lack of finances, capacity, and governmental support led to an unprecedented loss of archaeological sites since 2011. The CCS survey records the current condition of maritime sites along the Cyrenaican coast. The project focuses on the smaller, lesser known, coastal heritage sites that are not as well studied as the much larger classical period port towns of Apollonia, Tocra, or Ptolemais. This article will focus on the results of the first phase of the project between ancient Phycus (modern Zawiet el-Hamama) and Kainopolis (modern Al-Ogla). The results of the first stage of the Cyrenaica Coastal Survey provides a snapshot of the damages and threats that coastal heritage faces in Libya, most notably (often unregulated) building activities, clearance, sand mining, and coastal erosion. Furthermore, this article highlights the importance of remote collaboration between UK institutions, in-country partners, and heritage authorities, especially in countries where the discipline of maritime archaeology has been established more recently. PubDate: 2022-09-13
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Abstract: Abstract Syria’s coastal and nearshore zone contains a significant, but under-researched, record of maritime cultural heritage (MCH) ranging from prehistory to the present. This is exemplified by a lack of underwater investigations, but also limited investigation of key onshore maritime sites such as ports and harbours. There is also a lack of specialist in-country management regarding maritime cultural heritage research and protection. This situation has been worsened by the ongoing conflict (since 2011), which has reduced (already limited) field investigation. To assist in the advancement of Syrian maritime archaeology, this paper presents a baseline assessment which makes use of a geospatial database generated from satellite imagery as well as both published and grey literature. This assessment reviews past coastal environment changes affecting the Syrian littoral, and then highlights past disturbances and potential future threats impacting the MCH. This is done through analysis of all coastal/nearshore sites documented to date and showcased in more detail using two case studies: Tabbat al-Hammam and Ras Ibn Hani. This enables discussion of the current state of Syrian maritime archaeology and suggests ways forward for its future management and investigation. PubDate: 2022-09-13
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Abstract: Abstract This article summarises the results of the underwater rescue excavation of the shipwreck of Ses Fontanelles (Mallorca, Balearic Islands). The excavation documented the remains of a vessel, 12 m long and 5 m beam, loaded with two tiers of amphorae, which had set sail from the south-eastern Iberian Peninsula. The cargo includes numerous amphorae which were still sealed and bearing tituli picti, allowing for the analysis of their content. There is little doubt that the shipwreck of Ses Fontanelles is a key site for our understanding of third–fourth-century trade in the Western Mediterranean. PubDate: 2022-08-23
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Abstract: Abstract Padewakang was a type of long-distance sailing vessels that, since at least the early eighteenth century, was mainly built in South Sulawesi and used throughout the Malay Archipelago and beyond for blue-water trading and fishing ventures. In 2019, the Abu Hanifa Institute in Sydney commissioned the construction of such a boat, Nur Al-Marege, for a documentary film at a shipyard in Tana Beru, a village in the district of Bontobahari (South Sulawesi, Indonesia), that in 2017 was inscribed into the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity for its historic tradition of an extensive wooden boat industry. This was the occasion for a team of scholars, both independent and from the Universitas Indonesia and Università di Napoli “L’Orientale” to analyze iconographic sources and historical documents relating to the padewakang and to document a contemporary process of wooden boat construction by interviewing people involved in this activity. The article aims to summarize previous and current studies on shipbuilding activities in Tana Beru, to present the iconographic study which led to the reconstruction of the padewakang, and present a description of the conception and actual execution of the Nur Al-Marege construction and its representation. PubDate: 2022-08-15
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Abstract: Abstract The scarce publications on fishing in ancient Egypt cited in archaeological and Egyptological research contain little reference to cast nets being used as a fish catching method for catching fish, and the information that is available is contradictory. There are also no systematic studies on fishing and, so far, no comprehensive typology adapted to the particularities of the Egyptian fishing tackle developed. We start from the hypothesis that cast net was one of the fishing methods in ancient Egypt, at least from the 12th Dynasty of the Middle Kingdom. We try to confirm that its origin can be traced back to the Epipalaeolithic Period, as it has been suggested, as well as suggest the first classification of lead net weights from archaeological sites in Egypt and, in addition, that it is possible to draw on Egyptian iconography as a source to prove the use of this fishing gear. This article considers archaeological records, as well as documentary, literary, iconographic and ethnographic sources to accomplish the objectives proposed. We conclude that the data allow us to confirm the existence of fishing with cast nets from the proposed date along with additional evidence of its possible use from the Epipalaeolithic Period, identifying several fishing scenes with cast nets in the iconography, showing the typology, the gear, and the fishing activity. PubDate: 2022-06-30 DOI: 10.1007/s11457-022-09330-7
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Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Abstract: Abstract In early 2019, an archaeological excavation was undertaken at the former docklands area of Leith, Scotland in advance of development works by CALA Homes (East) Ltd. The focus of excavation was an area of the docks that had long been infilled and the investigations sought to reveal surviving evidence of the West Old Docks, constructed in the early nineteenth century and later known as the Queen’s Docks. Well-preserved structural remains and a suite of associated artefacts, including the rare survival of a ship’s rope fender of likely nineteenth century date, have provided a valuable opportunity investigate the development and growth of this area of the docklands over time as well as affording the chance to assess the critical role of John Rennie, a renowned engineer, and one of the architects of Leith’s early harbor design, in the success of Leith’s nineteenth century growth. This study, incorporating archaeological, cartographic, and documentary research, has allowed a new understanding of the development of Leith’s harbor and docks during the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, enabling insights into the expansion and contraction in the fortunes of the port and its burgeoning industries. PubDate: 2022-04-06 DOI: 10.1007/s11457-021-09323-y
Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Abstract: Abstract The discovery of the sunken remains of the battleship USS Nevada (BB-36) by Ocean Infinity and SEARCH Inc. in 2020 provided the means for documentation, site mapping and characterization of a deep-water shipwreck with an iconic history that spanned a half-century of profound change in the world in response to two world wars, shifting geopolitics and technological development that concluded with the advent of the atomic age. The mission took place during a global pandemic reflected in how the project and subsequent survey were conducted. Ultimately, the wreck of Nevada is an artifact that speaks to the times and the societal changes the ship was part of and is a potent reminder of that era and how the ship, the Navy, and society at large adapted to issues and changes of the era. PubDate: 2022-01-31 DOI: 10.1007/s11457-022-09324-5
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Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Abstract: Abstract In circumpolar regions, coastlines offer rich constellations of diverse resources and have long been a focus of human habitation. Despite the rich archaeological records that are located along many northern coastlines, there is a relatively limited understanding of the range of factors that informed local settlement strategies. Northern Norway has one of the world’s longest and best-preserved archaeological records of coastal habitation due to post-glacial uplift. Occupation begins in the early Holocene and appears to peak in the mid-Holocene. Our aim in this paper is to investigate the constraints and opportunities that informed the mid-Holocene settlement patterns, between c. 5000 and 0 BC. We present new data that were generated by intensive field surveys and undertake a qualitative multi-scalar analysis of site-locational choices, evaluating the influences of geography, topography and seasonal resource availability. Having identified stretches of the rugged coast as uninhabitable, we proceeded with analyses of the rest of the coastline. Our results indicate that all major settlements were sited to provide safe boat landing, good vantage points and shelter from storms. From these habitation sites, boat technology would have provided flexible access to diverse resources that were available throughout the year, and within a limited travel radius. We also demonstrate that these settlement strategies contrast with the way that the same coastlines were inhabited by pioneering groups in the early Holocene but appear to have some similarities with mid-Holocene coastal settlement patterns in Newfoundland and the Aleutian Islands. Overall, our results suggest that the multiple resources available along northern coastlines often enabled populations to occupy relatively localized areas for long periods. Longer-range mobility and interaction may instead have been primarily driven by socio-political factors rather than subsistence needs. PubDate: 2021-12-08 DOI: 10.1007/s11457-021-09316-x
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Hybrid journal (It can contain Open Access articles)
