About
Dr Crystal El Safadi is an Honor Frost Associate Professor in Maritime Archaeology at the University of Southampton. She is a maritime archaeologist with a background and expertise in archaeological computing and Geographic Information Systems. Crystal’s archaeological research focuses on Bronze Age and Neolithic maritime landscapes, activities, and mobility, including the study of ancient harbours and computational approaches to sailing and connectivity in the past. Crystal’s research extends to maritime heritage data repositories and best practice in managing and handling datasets.
Research
Research groups
Research interests
- Ancient Mediterranean Seafaring
- Maritime Cultural Heritage
- Geospatial Data and Mapping
- Mobility and Connectivity
- Digital Archaeology
Current research
Crystal’s work seeks to unite digital and maritime archaeological research through: GIS applications and mapping, remote sensing survey and analysis for the maritime environment, and the development of heritage repositories.
She has undertaken extensive research and computational modelling on the topic of prehistoric maritime mobility looking at maritime activities and connectivity in the Bronze Age Levant and the eastern Mediterranean, and Neolithic maritime mobility across the north-western European seaways.
Crystal led and collaborated on several projects including:
- Monitoring the pattern and impact of vessel mobility on underwater cultural heritage
- Investigating Neolithic maritime landscapes and practice in the Levant and Cyprus
- Settlement Geography of the Iranian Coastal Plain: Analysis and Dissemination of the Andrew Williamson Dataset
As a maritime archaeologist, she led underwater fieldwork, provided geospatial data management expertise to projects, and undertook diving and marine geophysical surveying. She worked across several countries, namely Lebanon, Cyprus, Spain, Bulgaria, France, Oman, Bahrain, and the U.K.
In her more recent research, Crystal is involved in investigating ancient Levantine harbours and infrastructure. She is also looking at best practice for integrating and consolidating maritime heritage data in the eastern Mediterranean. Her research on maritime mobility and connectivity continues with new projects in the horizon.
Research projects
Completed projects
Publications
Teaching
I lead and teach the GIS for Archaeology, Year 3 module and the Ancient Mediterranean Seafaring Master's module. I contribute to teaching on the various modules of the Maritime Archaeology Master's programme.