Ancient Mediterranean Seafaring

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• The various themes and problems involved in an evaluation of a maritime landscape of the ancient Mediterranean world.
• The different types of evidence that contribute to an interpretation of the patterns of maritime exchange, the form and development of water transport, and the capabilities of the vessels and the seafarers of the region.
• The maritime environment in which ancient seafarers operated and the many factors that determine the location and abandonment of sites located in the coastal interface.
• The pattern, influences and players involved in ancient Mediterranean and Indian Ocean seafaring.

Subject Specific Practical Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Demonstrate an appreciation of the maritime landscape of the ancient Mediterranean.
• Demonstrate an appreciation of the watercraft that facilitated trade and exchange in the ancient Mediterranean.
• Apply the analysis of various types of evidence to the interpretation of archaeological material.
• Apply theoretical models to specific aspects of maritime trade in the ancient world.

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Demonstrate ability to identify the types of evidence that can be utilised to form an appreciation of ancient seafaring.
• Show an appreciation of the archaeological potential of boats and ships and associated material culture.
• Demonstrate that you have acquired a broad understanding of the archaeological context of maritime activity within the context of the ancient Mediterranean.
• Show understanding of theories and models relating to patterns of trade, exchange and connectivity.
• Show appreciation of the importance of the sea and the influence it had on shaping ancient cultures.

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Assimilate a large and interdisciplinary body of material in order to acquire an appreciation of the broader picture.
• Undertake research in an independent capacity or as part of a team/group.

Typically, the syllabus will cover:

• Introduction: Evidence, Environment, Seafaring & Navigation
• Harbour Archaeology
• Early Prehistoric Seafaring
• Late Prehistoric Seafaring
• Bronze Age Seafaring and Trade
• Seafaring in the 1st Millennium BC
• Seafaring in the Greco-Roman world
• Indo-Roman Seafaring
• The Roman Imperial Period
• Late Antiquity Seafaring: Continuity & Change, Economics & Technology

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching is carried out using a mixture of formal lectures and informal seminars. Lectures aim to synthesise key information and topics in a uniform and consistent way. Seminars offer you the opportunity to explore individual subjects and topics of study on a more personal basis and through group discussion and debate.

Introduction: Evidence, Environment, Seafaring & Navigation

Harbour Archaeology

Early Prehistoric Seafaring

Late Prehistoric Seafaring

Bronze Age Seafaring and Trade

Seafaring in the 1st Millennium BC

Seafaring in the Greco-Roman world

Indo-Roman Seafaring

The Roman Imperial Period

Late Antiquity Seafaring: Continuity & Change, Economics

& Technology

Resources & Reading list

Journal Articles

Sherratt, S. & Sherratt, A. (1993). The growth of the Mediterranean economy in the early first millennium BC. World Archaeology, 24(3), pp. 361-78.

Textbooks

Rainbird, P. (2007). The Archaeology of Islands. Cambridge: Cambridge University.

Sidebotham, SE (2011). Berenike and the Ancient Maritime Spice Trade. Los Angeles.

Tomber, R. (2008). Indo-Roman Trade: From pots to pepper. London: Duckworth.

Horden, P. & Purcell, N. (2000). The Corrupting Sea. Oxford: Blackwell.

Broodbank, C. (2013). The Making of the Middle Sea. London: Thames and Hudson.

Casson, L. (1995). Ships and Seamanship in the Ancient World. London: The Johns Hopkins University.

Assessment strategy

Assignment One (35%): Artefact or Site Analysis (1,000 words)

You will each be assigned an artefact or an archaeological site or a navigational route and be asked to prepare a short report about its significance, its wider context and what is tells us about the maritime context..

The assignment will allow you to demonstrate your ability to conduct independent focused research into a specific subject and to analyse and synthesise published records of archaeological material. The assignment will also allow you to develop and demonstrate skills in concise writing for a specific purpose.

Assignment Two (65%): Research Essay (3,000 words)

You will be given a list of essay titles to choose from or the option to develop an individual research idea, in conjunction with the module co-ordinators to create an individual essay question exploring an area of personal research interest. The subsequent essay should be thought of as a short paper that is potentially publishable in a refereed journal. As such, it should be appropriately structured, referenced, draw upon suitable archaeological case studies to validate any theoretical claims and be illustrated as required.

The assignment will allow you to demonstrate your ability to conduct independent focused research into a specific subject. It will allow you to develop and pursue individual research within your own agenda and to demonstrate your ability to synthesise and analyse archaeological material from the widest possible range of sources. It will also allow you to demonstrate your ability to plan, structure and organise your research in a manner appropriate to a masters degree.

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal & External