MARITIME ARCHAEOLOGY

The course is included in the "caratterizzanti" exams, in the archaeological curriculum of the MA in Scienze dell'Antichità.
Aim of the course is to offer a base of knowledge about maritime archaeology (theory and history of the studies), about the evolution of shipconstruction, in the Mediterranean, from the origins to the Late MiddleAge, about the construction of the harbor structures and the dynamics of the traffics in the Antique and Medieval periods. The course wants also to offer basic methodological tools for the archaeological analysis of the maritime heritage and informations about the tecnique and underwater archaeological research, about the problems of the operability in the various environments of work, about the formation of the underwater archaeological record and the conservation of wet wood.

1. Knowledge and comprehension.
- Awareness of the main problematics of the research and of the safeguard in the field of the maritime archaeology, of the possibilities of valorization of the maritime cultural heritage and of the methodology and of the techniques applied in this field.
- knowledge of the general lines about the evolution of the ship-construction from the Prehistory to the Late Middle Age.
- basic knowledge of the opportunities and of the organization of the maritime infrastructures of the antique world.
2. Ability to apply knowledges and understanding.
- to be able to apply the methodology and the techniques of the maritime archaeology for the research, safeguard and valorization.
3. Judgement
- to be able to consciously apply the more suitable methodology and techniques according to the type of research, of action of safeguard or of activity of valorization, both in underwater environment and in land environment, and to be able to understand the more important aspects of the maritime archaeological evidence contextualizing it in its historical panorama.

Basic knowledge of the history and of the archaeology of the ancient and Medieval Mediterranean and of the archaeological methods. It is useful to have followed a course of archaeological methodology during the BA.

Definition of the discipline; archaeological, written and iconographical sources; history of the studies; evolution of ship-construction, in the Mediterranean, from the origins to the Late MiddleAge, ports and maritime infrastructures in the Antique and Medieval world; dynamics of the traffics in the Antique and Medieval world; method and technique of the underwater and naval archaeological research; problems of the operations in the different environments; naval experimental archaeology; formation processes of the underwater archaeological record.

Main books:
1. Carlo Beltrame, 2012, Archeologia marittima del Mediterraneo. Navi, merci e porti dall'antichità all'età moderna, Carocci ed., Roma.

ONLY to integrate the iconographical apparatus: R. Steffy, 1994, Wooden Ship Building and the Interpretation of Shipwrecks, College Station, pp. 23-100 or P. Pomey, E. Rieth, 2005, L'archeologie navale, Paris.

2. Bowers, A., ed., 2009, Underwater Archaeology. The NAS Guide to Principles and Practice. Second Edition, Portsmouth (you can exclude chapters: 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 18, 20).

Students who can not attend the lectures are invited to complete the study of the books with some goods notes or, in alternative, with the following literature:

- C, Beltrame, 2002, Le sutiles naves romane lungo il litorale alto Adriatico. Nuove testimonianze e considerazioni tecnologiche , Archeologia subacquea. Studi, ricerche e documenti, Roma, Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato, vol. 3, pp. 353-379.
- C. Beltrame, 2017, Documentare in archeologia navale , Archeologia Subacquea. QUADERNI DELLA SCUOLA INTERDISCIPLINARE DELLE METODOLOGIE ARCHEOLOGICHE (SIMA), 3, Istituto di Studi Liguri, vol. 3, pp. 159-174.
- R. Steffy, 1994, Wooden Ship Building and the Interpretation of Shipwrecks, College Station, pp. 189-234.

Who is interested in theoretical aspects can read also: J. Adams, A Marittime Archaeology of Ships, Oxford, pp. 1-51.

Erasmus students can request from the professor a literature in English language.

The test of the learning consists of an oral exam to verify the level of comprehension of the arguments exposed during the lessons and of the texts suggested and to verify the mastery of an adequate base of archaeological methodology and of an adequate technical terminology.

Foreign students can ask to be interviewed in English.

Traditional frontal lessons with projections of Power Point presentations. The slides of the lessons will be distributed available on Moodle.

Italian

The professor will offer to selected students to partecipate to projects of maritime archaeology and of promotion of the nautical cultural heritage.

For this information the student can ask the professor during the office hours or he can contact him to the e-mail address.

The attendance of the course is strongly suggested at least for the methodological part.

An agreement between the Rari Nantes diving club and the Atheneum allows discounts on the cost of the courses to take a diving license.

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