#MAREMonday 06

On 07.06.2021 we present the sixth session of our online lecture series with a contribution by

Chiara Maria Mauro
(Universidad Complutense de Madrid)

CONCEPTS AND TOOLS FOR THE STUDY OF HARBOURS IN ANTIQUITY:
A view from the first half of the 1st millennium BC Aegean Sea

Abstract:

Harbours are complex realities forming part of the maritime cultural landscape: as such, their full comprehension passes through the analysis of different kinds of remnants, both material and immaterial. Even if for too long the study of ancient harbours relied exclusively (or heavily) on the identification of harbour structures, the advances made in the late 30/40 years brought to a dramatic shift in the theoretical paradigms. As a matter of fact, they underlined the need of adopting a holistic approach when analysing (past) harbourscapes.

This speech will emphasize the complex nature of ancient harbours, focusing particularly on two of the many parameters that archaeologists can use to gain some access to the physical conditions that seafarers could have encountered within the harbours:

• the natural characteristics required for a place to be used as a harbour;
• the artificial facilities that improved the experience of seafarers and ships approaching or staying into the harbour.

The concepts and tools proposed during this talk have a wide feasibility, so they can be potentially used to study ancient harbours in general, However, the emphasis of this contribution will be placed on the Aegean Sea of the first half od the 1^st millennium BC, providing some practical examples.