- Ipso Facto
17 chemin de Séverin
13200 Arles
France
Nicolas Carayon
Independent Researcher, Ipso Facto Scop-Arl, Faculty Member
- University of Southampton, Archaeology, Post-Docadd
- Classical Archaeology, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Coastal Geomorphology, Archaelogy, Ports and Harbours, Ancient Mediterranean ports, and 21 moreCoastal and Island Archaeology, Harbour Archaeology, Underwater Archaeology, Ancient Harbours, Underwater Surveys, Mediterranean archaeology, Iron Age, Late Bronze Age, Phoenician trade, Tyre (Lebanon), Ancient harbours and anchorages, Ancient Mediterranean Harbours, Roman Archaeology, Roman ports, Roman Harbours, Ports, Ancient Ports and Harbours, Maritime History, Insularity, Geoarchaeology, Maritime Archaeology, Levantine Archaeology, and Syriaedit
En domaine littoral, dans un contexte de stabilisation plurimillénaire de la montée du niveau de la mer, une question qui se pose est celle de l'impact des conditions environnementales sur les choix d'implantation des communautés humaines... more
En domaine littoral, dans un contexte de stabilisation plurimillénaire de la montée du niveau de la mer, une question qui se pose est celle de l'impact des conditions environnementales sur les choix d'implantation des communautés humaines qui s'installent autour des lagunes. L'historiographie a développé des modèles plus ou moins déterministes mais survivent-ils à la confrontation avec les données environnementales récemment acquises ? Quels ont été les effets de ces occupations sur l'évolution du littoral et récipro-quement, comment les sociétés anciennes ont utilisé, contourné, surmonté ou pas les potentialités et contraintes environnementales spécifiques liées à l'occupation des milieux lagunaires, telles que l'accessibilité, la navigabilité, la vitesse de remblaiement et la hauteur de la colonne d'eau. Nous présentons des données acquises dans le cadre de nombreuses recherches pluridisciplinaires sur différents ports principalement méditerranéens et nous tentons d'estimer le poids des forçages naturels et anthropiques sur la mobi-lité des rivages à différentes échelles spatiales, ces processus affectant plus ou moins directement l'aménagement et la survie des ports lagunaires. Nous présentons cinq principaux types de contexte portuaire lagunaire différents, qui illustrent l'immense diversité et mobilité de ces milieux, leurs potentialités mais aussi leurs contraintes, la quasi-totalité des trajectoires géomorphologiques des lagunes aboutissant à leur disparition, soit par remblaiement soit par submersion : (1) les bassins lagunaires artificiels, (2) les ports lagunaires remblayés en contexte deltaïque, (3) les ports lagunaires toujours en eau, (4) les ports estuariens et (5) les systèmes de lagune mixte. ABSTRACT GEOMORPHOLOGY AND GEOARCHAEOLOGICAL TYPOLOGY OF ANCIENT HARBOURS IN LAGOONAL CONTEXTS In coastal areas, under a context of relative sea-level stability during the past 6,000 years, one important question relates to the impact of environmental conditions on human settlements around lagoons. Historiography has developed a number of deter-ministic models but how do these fair in the light of recent palaeo-environmental data? What was the impact of these occupations on the evolution of the coastline? How did ancient societies use and overcome, or not, the environmental potentialities and specific constraints linked to the occupation of lagoonal environments, including accessibility, navigation conditions, sediment infilling and the draught depth. Here we present a number of multidisciplinary case study examples of lagoonal harbours. We attempt to estimate the weight of natural forcing agents on the different harbour sites and underline the important roles of coastline changes and the
N. Carayon, "Arwad, Tyre, Sidon, and Byblos. Honor Frost’s impact on harbour studies in the Levant", In: Blue, L. (ed.), 2019, In the Footsteps of Honor Frost. The life and legacy of a pioneer in maritime archaeology, 95-108. Leiden:... more
N. Carayon, "Arwad, Tyre, Sidon, and Byblos. Honor Frost’s impact on harbour studies in the Levant", In: Blue, L. (ed.), 2019, In the Footsteps of Honor Frost. The life and legacy of a pioneer in maritime archaeology, 95-108. Leiden: Sidestone Press.
From the 1960s onwards, Honor Frost wrote a series of papers focused on underwater archaeology in the Levant. She not only tackled the archaeology of the famous Phoenician city ports of Tyre, Sidon, Byblos, and Arwad, but with her innovative approach she raised the fundamental issues of relative sea-level changes and maritime palaeo-landscapes, all 30 years before the development of harbour geoarchaeology. She was a pioneer, so the tools that are now used almost systematically were not available to her, but she applied a truly interdisciplinary approach that is still used today in ancient harbour archaeology in the Levant and beyond. This paper aims to place her impact within the historiographical context of harbour geoarchaeology and to focus on the relevance of the questions she raised
From the 1960s onwards, Honor Frost wrote a series of papers focused on underwater archaeology in the Levant. She not only tackled the archaeology of the famous Phoenician city ports of Tyre, Sidon, Byblos, and Arwad, but with her innovative approach she raised the fundamental issues of relative sea-level changes and maritime palaeo-landscapes, all 30 years before the development of harbour geoarchaeology. She was a pioneer, so the tools that are now used almost systematically were not available to her, but she applied a truly interdisciplinary approach that is still used today in ancient harbour archaeology in the Levant and beyond. This paper aims to place her impact within the historiographical context of harbour geoarchaeology and to focus on the relevance of the questions she raised
Research Interests:
N. Carayon, S.J. Keay, P. Arnaud, C. Sanchez, "The Harbour System of Narbo Martius (Narbonne / F) and its Facilities during Antiquity", in C. von Carnap-Bornheim, F. Daim, P. Ettel, U. Warnke (eds), Harbours as Objects of... more
N. Carayon, S.J. Keay, P. Arnaud, C. Sanchez, "The Harbour System of Narbo Martius (Narbonne / F) and its Facilities during Antiquity", in C. von Carnap-Bornheim, F. Daim, P. Ettel, U. Warnke (eds), Harbours as Objects of Interdisciplinary Research - Archaeology + History + Geosciences, International Conference »Harbours as objects of interdisciplinary research – Archaeology + History + Geosciences « at the Christian-Albrechts-University in Kiel, 30.9.-3.10.2015, within the framework of the Special Research Programme (DFG-SPP 1630) »Harbours from the Roman Period to the Middle Ages«, Verlag des Römisch-Germanischen Zentralmuseums, Mainz, 2018, 151-163.
Within the framework of the ERC Rome's Mediterranean Ports project (FP7-IDEAS-ERC, project reference: 339123; http://portulimen.eu), and thanks to a partnership with the Collective Research Project: Les ports antiques de Narbonne (http://pan.hypotheses.org) (CNRS, UMR 5140 Archéologie des sociétés méditerranéennes), it has been possible to precisely define the harbour system of the colonia Narbo Martius between the late republic and the late antique period. This paper aims to reconstruct the development of this harbour system from the 2nd century BC to the first part of the 3rd century AD, taking into account the human occupation of the area and the artificial development of harbour activities. By applying the concept of harbour systems to the area of Narbonne, our understanding of one of the most important ports of the western Mediterranean, the »emporion of all Gaul« in the words of Strabo (4, 1, 6), becomes clear.
Within the framework of the ERC Rome's Mediterranean Ports project (FP7-IDEAS-ERC, project reference: 339123; http://portulimen.eu), and thanks to a partnership with the Collective Research Project: Les ports antiques de Narbonne (http://pan.hypotheses.org) (CNRS, UMR 5140 Archéologie des sociétés méditerranéennes), it has been possible to precisely define the harbour system of the colonia Narbo Martius between the late republic and the late antique period. This paper aims to reconstruct the development of this harbour system from the 2nd century BC to the first part of the 3rd century AD, taking into account the human occupation of the area and the artificial development of harbour activities. By applying the concept of harbour systems to the area of Narbonne, our understanding of one of the most important ports of the western Mediterranean, the »emporion of all Gaul« in the words of Strabo (4, 1, 6), becomes clear.
Research Interests:
2017 N. Carayon, P. Arnaud, N. Garcia Casacuberta, S.J. Keay, “Kothon, Cothon et ports creusés », Mélanges de l’École française de Rome, Antiquités 129.1, 255-266. According to ancient literature, Kothon is the name given to the late... more
2017 N. Carayon, P. Arnaud, N. Garcia Casacuberta, S.J. Keay, “Kothon, Cothon et ports creusés », Mélanges de l’École française de Rome, Antiquités 129.1, 255-266.
According to ancient literature, Kothon is the name given to the late Punic ports of Carthage, a particular type of vase and a type of harbour. Ancient definitions of a type of port seem to describe an artificially excavated basin, and this characteristic appears regularly within archaeological literature. However, if the ancient sources are examined closely, the association between kothon and dug basin is not clear. This paper aims to analyse the sources related to the kothon and to propose a new definition of the term.
According to ancient literature, Kothon is the name given to the late Punic ports of Carthage, a particular type of vase and a type of harbour. Ancient definitions of a type of port seem to describe an artificially excavated basin, and this characteristic appears regularly within archaeological literature. However, if the ancient sources are examined closely, the association between kothon and dug basin is not clear. This paper aims to analyse the sources related to the kothon and to propose a new definition of the term.
Research Interests:
2017 F. Salomon, S. Keay, N. Carayon et J.-P. Goiran, « Un « modèle âge-profondeur paléoenvironnemental » pour interpréter les séquences sédimentaires en milieu portuaire (Portus, Italie) », Quaternaire 28.2, 167-172
Research Interests:
2016, Giaime M., Morhange C., Carayon N., Flaux C., Marriner N., Les ports antiques des petites îles de Méditerranée, proposition d’une typologie géoarchéologique, in Géoarchéologie des îles de Méditerranée, M. Ghilardi ed., CNRS... more
2016, Giaime M., Morhange C., Carayon N., Flaux C., Marriner N., Les ports antiques des petites îles de Méditerranée, proposition d’une typologie géoarchéologique, in Géoarchéologie des îles de Méditerranée, M. Ghilardi ed., CNRS éditions, pp. 165-176. ISBN : 978-2-271-08915-1.
Research Interests:
N. Carayon, Cl. Flaux, « Le vivier augustéen du Lac de Capelles à Port-la-Nautique », Actes du colloque international Les Ports dans l’espace méditerranéen antique, Montpellier 22-23 mai 2014, (Supplément à la Revue archéologique de... more
N. Carayon, Cl. Flaux, « Le vivier augustéen du Lac de Capelles à Port-la-Nautique », Actes du colloque international Les Ports dans l’espace méditerranéen antique, Montpellier 22-23 mai 2014, (Supplément à la Revue archéologique de Narbonnaise), Montpellier, 2016, 87-97.
Research Interests:
Ancient harbour contexts have emerged as particularly novel and original archives, shedding light on how humans have interacted with and modified coastal zones since the Neolithic. Around 7,000 years ago, at the end of the post-glacial... more
Ancient harbour contexts have emerged as particularly novel and original archives, shedding light on how humans have interacted with and modified coastal zones since the
Neolithic. Around 7,000 years ago, at the end of the post-glacial marine transgression, societies started to settle along ‘present’ coastlines. During the past 5,000 years, harbour technology has evolved to exploit a plethora of environmental contexts, from natural bays and pocket beaches through to the artificial basins of the Roman period. Although some of these ancient port complexes continue to be thriving transport centres (such as Marseille, Istanbul, Alexandria, Beirut, etc.), many millennia after their foundation, the majority have been abandoned and their precise whereabouts remain unknown. Although not the sole agent of cultural change, these environmental modifications partly reflect that long-term human activities have prioritized access to the open sea. Societies have developed adaptive strategies in response to the rapidly changing face of coasts, and harbour sites closely
mirror the shoreline modifications and natural hazards that form part of history’s longue durée.
2016, Morhange C., Marriner N., Carayon N., Eco-history of ancient Mediterranean harbours, in The Inland Seas, Towards an Ecohistory of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, T. Bekker-Nielsen et R. Gertwagen (eds.), Verlag, pp. 85-106.
Neolithic. Around 7,000 years ago, at the end of the post-glacial marine transgression, societies started to settle along ‘present’ coastlines. During the past 5,000 years, harbour technology has evolved to exploit a plethora of environmental contexts, from natural bays and pocket beaches through to the artificial basins of the Roman period. Although some of these ancient port complexes continue to be thriving transport centres (such as Marseille, Istanbul, Alexandria, Beirut, etc.), many millennia after their foundation, the majority have been abandoned and their precise whereabouts remain unknown. Although not the sole agent of cultural change, these environmental modifications partly reflect that long-term human activities have prioritized access to the open sea. Societies have developed adaptive strategies in response to the rapidly changing face of coasts, and harbour sites closely
mirror the shoreline modifications and natural hazards that form part of history’s longue durée.
2016, Morhange C., Marriner N., Carayon N., Eco-history of ancient Mediterranean harbours, in The Inland Seas, Towards an Ecohistory of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, T. Bekker-Nielsen et R. Gertwagen (eds.), Verlag, pp. 85-106.
Research Interests:
2016, Giaime M., Morhange C., Carayon N., Flaux C., Marriner N., Les ports antiques des petites îles de Méditerranée, proposition d’une typologie géoarchéologique, in Géoarchéologie des îles de Méditerranée, M. Ghilardi (ed.), CNRS... more
2016, Giaime M., Morhange C., Carayon N., Flaux C., Marriner N., Les ports antiques des petites îles de Méditerranée, proposition d’une typologie géoarchéologique, in Géoarchéologie des îles de Méditerranée, M. Ghilardi (ed.), CNRS éditions, pp. 165-176. ISBN : 978-2-271-08915-1.
Cette étude traite de la mutation des environnements portuaires dans différents contextes insulaires. Elle met en
évidence le rôle déterminant des processus géomorphologique et météo-marin dans l’évolution des îles étudiées, en particulier
la situation des îles par rapport à la côte et aux embouchures fluviales. Plus l’île est proche du continent, plus elle
sera impactée par la progradation et la régularisation générale des littoraux meubles depuis environ 6 000 ans. Au cours
de l’Antiquité, la stabilisation du niveau marin associée à un détritisme terrigène d’origine fluviale ont entraîné une
régularisation du trait de côte par colmatage des baies deltaïques et enclavement des îles et archipels à proximité des
embouchures fluviales, alors que les côtes rocheuses sont caractérisées par une stabilité beaucoup plus remarquable. Sur
côte meuble, l’hyper-sédimentation était difficile à gérer et le dragage des bassins portuaires était nécessaire. Les sites
antiques localisés dans d’anciennes rias ou golfes aujourd’hui colmatés (e. g. Milet et Oeniades) mettent bien en exergue
l’impact de l’alluvionnement au niveau de base sur les installations portuaires, ces dernières étant relocalisées en fonction de la progradation historique des rivages. De manière générale, alors que les îles proximales en contexte deltaïque
présentent des potentialités portuaires à une échelle séculaire, les îles distales, reliées ou non au continent par un tombolo,
définissent des sites d’occupation portuaire souvent pluri-millénaire, à l’image de Tyr.
Cette étude traite de la mutation des environnements portuaires dans différents contextes insulaires. Elle met en
évidence le rôle déterminant des processus géomorphologique et météo-marin dans l’évolution des îles étudiées, en particulier
la situation des îles par rapport à la côte et aux embouchures fluviales. Plus l’île est proche du continent, plus elle
sera impactée par la progradation et la régularisation générale des littoraux meubles depuis environ 6 000 ans. Au cours
de l’Antiquité, la stabilisation du niveau marin associée à un détritisme terrigène d’origine fluviale ont entraîné une
régularisation du trait de côte par colmatage des baies deltaïques et enclavement des îles et archipels à proximité des
embouchures fluviales, alors que les côtes rocheuses sont caractérisées par une stabilité beaucoup plus remarquable. Sur
côte meuble, l’hyper-sédimentation était difficile à gérer et le dragage des bassins portuaires était nécessaire. Les sites
antiques localisés dans d’anciennes rias ou golfes aujourd’hui colmatés (e. g. Milet et Oeniades) mettent bien en exergue
l’impact de l’alluvionnement au niveau de base sur les installations portuaires, ces dernières étant relocalisées en fonction de la progradation historique des rivages. De manière générale, alors que les îles proximales en contexte deltaïque
présentent des potentialités portuaires à une échelle séculaire, les îles distales, reliées ou non au continent par un tombolo,
définissent des sites d’occupation portuaire souvent pluri-millénaire, à l’image de Tyr.
Research Interests:
The Larnaca Bay, located in the south of Cyprus, was a favorite stopover of the ancient commercial traffic in the eastern Mediterranean. Thus, the ancient city of Kition was founded during the 13 th century BC and consequently experienced... more
The Larnaca Bay, located in the south of Cyprus, was a favorite stopover of the ancient commercial traffic in the eastern Mediterranean. Thus, the ancient city of Kition was founded during the 13 th century BC and consequently experienced a continuous human occupation. Many archaeological work has shown the importance and wealth of this city especially during the classical period. The presence of a military harbour in Bamboula led the realisation of several geomorphological studies. The internal organization of the city raises questions about the existence of several harbour environment probably located in the Kathari sector. This study, based on sedimentological and palaeo-biological analyses of seven cores extracted in the Kathari sector, aims to better understand the organization of the city in a mobile coastal environment. Thus, this study has allowed to establish the existence of a vast lagoon in Kathari whose environmental conditions were conducive to the harbour activity.
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C. Sanchez, N. Carayon, G. Duperron, S. Meauné, « Les ports de Narbonne antique », dans Bulletin de la SFAC (Revue Archéologique 1.2015), 137-145.
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GEOMORPHOLOGY AND GEOARCHAEOLOGICAL TYPOLOGY OF ANCIENT HARBOURS IN LAGOONAL CONTEXTS In coastal areas, under a context of relative sea-level stability during the past 6,000 years, one important question relates to the impact of... more
GEOMORPHOLOGY AND GEOARCHAEOLOGICAL TYPOLOGY OF ANCIENT HARBOURS IN LAGOONAL CONTEXTS
In coastal areas, under a context of relative sea-level stability during the past 6,000 years, one important question relates to
the impact of environmental conditions on human settlements around lagoons. Historiography has developed a number of
deterministic models but how do these fair in the light of recent palaeo-environmental data? What was the impact of these occupations on the evolution of the coastline? How did ancient societies use and overcome, or not, the environmental potentialities and specific constraints linked to the occupation of lagoonal environments, including accessibility, navigation conditions, sediment infilling and the draught depth. Here we present a number of multidisciplinary case study examples of lagoonal harbours. We attempt to estimate the weight of natural forcing agents on the different harbour sites and underline the important roles of coastline changes and the sedimentary infilling of the lagoons at different spatial scales. These processes impacted upon the infrastructure and the viability
of the lagoonal harbours to varying degrees. We present five main types of lagoonal harbour that show the great diversity of these environments, their potentiality and also their constraints:
(1) artificially-dug lagoonal harbours, known in the ancient literature as “cothons”
(2) infilled lagoonal harbours in deltaic contexts
(3) lagoonal harbours still in water
(4) estuarine harbours
(5) mixed lagoon systems.
In coastal areas, under a context of relative sea-level stability during the past 6,000 years, one important question relates to
the impact of environmental conditions on human settlements around lagoons. Historiography has developed a number of
deterministic models but how do these fair in the light of recent palaeo-environmental data? What was the impact of these occupations on the evolution of the coastline? How did ancient societies use and overcome, or not, the environmental potentialities and specific constraints linked to the occupation of lagoonal environments, including accessibility, navigation conditions, sediment infilling and the draught depth. Here we present a number of multidisciplinary case study examples of lagoonal harbours. We attempt to estimate the weight of natural forcing agents on the different harbour sites and underline the important roles of coastline changes and the sedimentary infilling of the lagoons at different spatial scales. These processes impacted upon the infrastructure and the viability
of the lagoonal harbours to varying degrees. We present five main types of lagoonal harbour that show the great diversity of these environments, their potentiality and also their constraints:
(1) artificially-dug lagoonal harbours, known in the ancient literature as “cothons”
(2) infilled lagoonal harbours in deltaic contexts
(3) lagoonal harbours still in water
(4) estuarine harbours
(5) mixed lagoon systems.
Research Interests: Geoarchaeology, Archaeology of Ancient Israel, Levantine Archaeology, Coastal Geomorphology, Coastal and Island Archaeology, and 30 moreCarthage (Archaeology), Underwater Archaeology, Ports and Harbours, Graeco-Roman Alexandria, Corinth, Coastal geoarchaeology, Harbour Archaeology, Ravenna, Pisa, Cuma, Livorno, Lilybaeum (Marsala), History of Venice, Troy, Mangrove and coastal lagoons, Mozia, Danube Delta, Napoli, Altinum, Submarine Archaeology, Ports, Coastal Lagoons, Gaza Strip, Orgame/Argamum, Lake Maryût, Ostia, Portus, Ancient Ports and Harbours, Cumae, Ports Antiques Mahdia, and Archaeology Taposiris
Research Interests: Archaeology, Maritime Archaeology, Geoarchaeology, Palaeoenvironment, Landscape Archaeology, and 8 moreMaritime History, Coastal and Island Archaeology, Underwater Archaeology, Ports and Harbours, Maritime and Oceanic History, Coastal geoarchaeology, Harbour Archaeology, and Underwater Archaeology, Ancient Harbours, Underwater Surveys
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N. Carayon, N. Marriner, C. Morhange, “Große phönizische Häfen im Mittelmeer”, Archäologie in Deutschland, 1.2013, 14-18
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C. Morhange, N. Marriner, G. Bony, N. Carayon, C. Flaux, M. Shah-Hosseini, " Coastal Geoarchaeology and Neocatastrophism: a Dangerous Liaison?", in S. Ladstätter – F. Pirson – T. Schmidts (Hrsg.), Harbours and Harbour Cities in the... more
C. Morhange, N. Marriner, G. Bony, N. Carayon, C. Flaux, M. Shah-Hosseini, " Coastal Geoarchaeology and Neocatastrophism: a Dangerous Liaison?", in S. Ladstätter – F. Pirson – T. Schmidts (Hrsg.), Harbours and Harbour Cities in the Eastern Mediterranean, BYZAS 19 (2014)
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N. Marriner, C. Morhange et N. Carayon, "Chronostratigraphie et biosédimentologie des ports antiques du Liban", Géochronique 130 (2014), 31-34
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N. Marriner, C. Morhange, D. Kaniewski & N. Carayon, "Ancient harbour infrastructure in theLevant: tracking the birth and rise of new forms of anthropogenic pressure", Scientific Reports 4.5554 (2014)
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N. Carayon et J.-B. Lebret, « L’île Sainte-Lucie et l’île Saint-Martin », dans C. Sanchez, M.-P. Jézégou et collaborateurs, Les ports antiques de Narbonne, Les Carnets du Parc, Parc naturel régional de la Narbonnaise en Méditerranée,... more
N. Carayon et J.-B. Lebret, « L’île Sainte-Lucie et l’île Saint-Martin », dans C. Sanchez, M.-P. Jézégou et collaborateurs, Les ports antiques de Narbonne, Les Carnets du Parc, Parc naturel régional de la Narbonnaise en Méditerranée, Narbonne, 2014, 41-42.
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N. Carayon, « La question du cordon littoral », dans C. Sanchez, M.-P. Jézégou et collaborateurs, Les ports antiques de Narbonne, Les Carnets du Parc, Parc naturel régional de la Narbonnaise en Méditerranée, Narbonne, 2014, 48.
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N. Carayon, Cl. Flaux et G. Piquès, « Le vivier du Lac de Capelles », dans C. Sanchez, M.-P. Jézégou et collaborateurs, Les ports antiques de Narbonne, Les Carnets du Parc, Parc naturel régional de la Narbonnaise en Méditerranée,... more
N. Carayon, Cl. Flaux et G. Piquès, « Le vivier du Lac de Capelles », dans C. Sanchez, M.-P. Jézégou et collaborateurs, Les ports antiques de Narbonne, Les Carnets du Parc, Parc naturel régional de la Narbonnaise en Méditerranée, Narbonne, 2014, 87-91.
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C. Morhange, N. Marriner and N. Carayon, "The geoarchaeology of ancient Mediterranean harbours", in N. Carcaud and G. Arnaud-Fassetta (ed.), La géoarchéologie française au XXIe siècle, CNRS Edition, 2014
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C. Morhange, N. Marriner et N. Carayon, "Géoarchéologie des ports antiques en Méditerranée", dans N. Carcaud et G. Arnaud-Fassetta (dir.), La géoarchéologie française au XXIe siècle, CNRS Edition, 2014
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This systematic study of the geomorphology and infrastructures of Phoenician and Punic harbours, since their origins in the eastern Mediterranean to the fall of Carthage in 146 B.C., is based upon ancient literary sources, archaeology and... more
This systematic study of the geomorphology and infrastructures of Phoenician and Punic harbours, since their origins in the eastern Mediterranean to the fall of Carthage in 146 B.C., is based upon ancient literary sources, archaeology and geosciences. It is organised in three parts. The first section outlines an inventory of 183 harbour agglomerations, across the three basins of the Mediterranean and the Atlantic coastline of the straits of Gibraltar. In the second part each harbour site is detailed on the basis of natural harbour conditions during the first millennium B.C., and describes the port infrastructure elucidated by the archaeology. The third section synthesises the information in this catalogue. A geomorphological classification of the natural harbours, their spatial organisation and an exhaustive typology of harbour infrastructures are subsequently elaborated
Research Interests:
This systematic study of the geomorphology and infrastructures of Phoenician and Punic harbours, since their origins in the eastern Mediterranean to the fall of Carthage in 146 B.C., is based upon ancient literary sources, archaeology and... more
This systematic study of the geomorphology and infrastructures of Phoenician and Punic harbours, since their origins in the eastern Mediterranean to the fall of Carthage in 146 B.C., is based upon ancient literary sources, archaeology and geosciences. It is organised in three parts. The first section outlines an inventory of 183 harbour agglomerations, across the three basins of the Mediterranean and the Atlantic coastline of the straits of Gibraltar. In the second part each harbour site is detailed on the basis of natural harbour conditions during the first millennium B.C., and describes the port infrastructure elucidated by the archaeology. The third section synthesises the information in this catalogue. A geomorphological classification of the natural harbours, their spatial organisation and an exhaustive typology of harbour infrastructures are subsequently elaborated
Research Interests:
This systematic study of the geomorphology and infrastructures of Phoenician and Punic harbours, since their origins in the eastern Mediterranean to the fall of Carthage in 146 B.C., is based upon ancient literary sources, archaeology and... more
This systematic study of the geomorphology and infrastructures of Phoenician and Punic harbours, since their origins in the eastern Mediterranean to the fall of Carthage in 146 B.C., is based upon ancient literary sources, archaeology and geosciences. It is organised in three parts. The first section outlines an inventory of 183 harbour agglomerations, across the three basins of the Mediterranean and the Atlantic coastline of the straits of Gibraltar. In the second part each harbour site is detailed on the basis of natural harbour conditions during the first millennium B.C., and describes the port infrastructure elucidated by the archaeology. The third section synthesises the information in this catalogue. A geomorphological classification of the natural harbours, their spatial organisation and an exhaustive typology of harbour infrastructures are subsequently elaborated
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N. Carayon, « Book review of Harbours and Maritime Networks as Complex Adaptive Systems, JOHANNES PREISER-KAPELLER and FALKO DAIM (Eds) with 10 Contributors, pp. 139, 44 colour and 12 b&w illustrations including maps and tables, RGZM... more
N. Carayon, « Book review of Harbours and Maritime Networks as Complex Adaptive Systems, JOHANNES PREISER-KAPELLER and FALKO DAIM (Eds) with 10 Contributors, pp. 139, 44 colour and 12 b&w illustrations including maps and tables, RGZM Monograph 23 from Römanisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum, Ernst-Ludwig Platz 2, Mainz D-55116, 2015, €32 (sbk) », International Journal of Nautical Archaeology, 45.3, 2016.
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N. Carayon, Antiquity, 88.342 (2014), p. 1341-1342, GRÉGOIRE AYALA (ed.) Lyon, Saint-Georges: archéologie, environnement et histoire d'un espace fluvial en bord de Saône. (Documents d’archéologie française 106). 436 pages, 322 b&w... more
N. Carayon, Antiquity, 88.342 (2014), p. 1341-1342, GRÉGOIRE AYALA (ed.) Lyon, Saint-Georges: archéologie, environnement et histoire d'un espace fluvial en bord de Saône. (Documents d’archéologie française 106). 436 pages, 322 b&w illustrations, 85 tables. 2013. Paris: Éditions de la Maison des sciences de l'homme; 978-2-7351-1125-1 paperback €74.
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This article represents a statement of current knowledge relating to the port system of the Hispano-Roman town of Baelo Claudia, which is located in the Straits of Gibraltar. It begins with a synthesis of information derived from Roman... more
This article represents a statement of current knowledge relating to the port system of the Hispano-Roman
town of Baelo Claudia, which is located in the Straits of Gibraltar. It begins with a synthesis of
information derived from Roman historical sources and from earlier archaeological work on the harbour
installations that has been undertaken since the 1980s down to the present day. The paper then
moves on to present unpublished information relating to underwater finds (anchors and amphorae), in
particular a mooring stone that was found next to a seafront building involved in port-related activities
in the lower part of the site (Edificio Meridional XIII). It also presents for the first time the results of
an emergency excavation undertaken in 2011. This uncovered walls running adjacent to the southern
stretch of the wall circuit of the town, which may perhaps be docking structures, as well as evidence for
the canalisation of one of the banks of the Arroyo de las Villas in the late Republican period. Last, but
not least, there is a reflection on future research directions, some of which have been developed during
the geophysical and geo-archaeological campaigns carried out in the harbour area during 2016 as part
of the Portuslimen Project.
town of Baelo Claudia, which is located in the Straits of Gibraltar. It begins with a synthesis of
information derived from Roman historical sources and from earlier archaeological work on the harbour
installations that has been undertaken since the 1980s down to the present day. The paper then
moves on to present unpublished information relating to underwater finds (anchors and amphorae), in
particular a mooring stone that was found next to a seafront building involved in port-related activities
in the lower part of the site (Edificio Meridional XIII). It also presents for the first time the results of
an emergency excavation undertaken in 2011. This uncovered walls running adjacent to the southern
stretch of the wall circuit of the town, which may perhaps be docking structures, as well as evidence for
the canalisation of one of the banks of the Arroyo de las Villas in the late Republican period. Last, but
not least, there is a reflection on future research directions, some of which have been developed during
the geophysical and geo-archaeological campaigns carried out in the harbour area during 2016 as part
of the Portuslimen Project.
Research Interests:
L’installation d’agglomérations portuaires sur des îles et des îlots apparaît régulièrement dans le monde phénico-punique. Ce type d’occupation induit la présence d’un pertuis – un détroit entre une île et le continent – qui est, de fait,... more
L’installation d’agglomérations portuaires sur des îles et des îlots apparaît régulièrement dans le monde phénico-punique. Ce type d’occupation induit la présence d’un pertuis – un détroit entre une île et le continent – qui est, de fait, un élément important des systèmes portuaires. L’objectif de cette présentation est de montrer que si le bras de mer entre l’île et le continent est un facteur de séparation géographique, il est également un trait d’union. En effet, le développement des agglomérations portuaires insulaires durant le premier millénaire associe systématiquement les deux rives du détroit qui devient alors l’élément central du système portuaire, autour duquel s’organise l’occupation humaine. Dans un second temps, on s’attachera à l’analyse de l’évolution géomorphologique des pertuis fréquemment caractérisé par le développement, anthropique ou naturel, d’un bras de terre qui relie l’île au continent, qui transforme le détroit en isthme.
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Nicolas Carayon (University of Southampton), "A functional approach to the harbour system of Narbo Martius", 19th International Congress of Classical Archaeology, Cologne/Bonn, 22-26 May 2018 The recent research undertaken in the area of... more
Nicolas Carayon (University of Southampton), "A functional approach to the harbour system of Narbo Martius", 19th International Congress of Classical Archaeology, Cologne/Bonn, 22-26 May 2018
The recent research undertaken in the area of Narbonne (France) has revealed a great number of sites occupied during the Roman period. These sites are located along the ancient Atax River, around the lagoon and on the islands of the lagoon. They were provided with natural or artificial harbour facilities. The question of their implications within the harbours activities of the emporion of all Gaul in the words of Strabo (4, 1, 12) is now relevant. Within the framework of the ERC Rome’s Mediterranean Ports Projects, we demonstrates that the port of Narbo Martius must be considered as a harbour system instead of a centralised city-port. The nature and the harbour potential of the numerous coastal sites make it possible to suggest different hypotheses about the functioning of one of the more important ports of the western Mediterranean. This paper aims to reconsider the river, lagoon and maritime port of the capital of the Roman province of Gallia Narbonensis by emphasizing a functional approach. It raises the question of the relationship between the urban river port at Narbonne and the secondary harbour sites, implying both private and public development, transhipment and other ports operations. The functional approach also investigates the possible integration of several specialised sites that are not usually considered as forming part of ancient ports (namely quarries, workshops, rural sites) within the harbour system.
The recent research undertaken in the area of Narbonne (France) has revealed a great number of sites occupied during the Roman period. These sites are located along the ancient Atax River, around the lagoon and on the islands of the lagoon. They were provided with natural or artificial harbour facilities. The question of their implications within the harbours activities of the emporion of all Gaul in the words of Strabo (4, 1, 12) is now relevant. Within the framework of the ERC Rome’s Mediterranean Ports Projects, we demonstrates that the port of Narbo Martius must be considered as a harbour system instead of a centralised city-port. The nature and the harbour potential of the numerous coastal sites make it possible to suggest different hypotheses about the functioning of one of the more important ports of the western Mediterranean. This paper aims to reconsider the river, lagoon and maritime port of the capital of the Roman province of Gallia Narbonensis by emphasizing a functional approach. It raises the question of the relationship between the urban river port at Narbonne and the secondary harbour sites, implying both private and public development, transhipment and other ports operations. The functional approach also investigates the possible integration of several specialised sites that are not usually considered as forming part of ancient ports (namely quarries, workshops, rural sites) within the harbour system.
Research Interests:
In this paper, we aim to develop a systematic way for evaluating the maritime potential of Roman ports and harbour systems. We will focus on the on the criteria defined and used within the ERC Rome’s Mediterranean Ports project and try to... more
In this paper, we aim to develop a systematic way for evaluating the maritime potential of Roman ports and harbour systems. We will focus on the on the criteria defined and used within the ERC Rome’s Mediterranean Ports project and try to show how to use them in order to produce a comparative analysis. These criteria are related to the maritime activities at ports located at three distinct areas composing the port: the water body, the interface and the land area. Each of these areas are characterised by specific contexts and activities, natural features and anthropic development that enhanced the natural potential. As well, we will focus on the nature and the function of the harbour infrastructures emphasizing the transformation of the potential they provide. Our study is based on different examples and recent results of the RoMP project, which underlined the impact of the Romanisation of portscapes and the issues encountered during application of such criteria to harbour systems.
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N. Carayon, N. Marriner, C. Morhange, « Les ports de Byblos, Sidon et Tyr. Etude comparative diachronique des caractéristiques physiques et structurelles ». Tyre, Sidon, Byblos. Three Global Harbours of the Ancient World. Archaeological... more
N. Carayon, N. Marriner, C. Morhange, « Les ports de Byblos, Sidon et Tyr. Etude comparative diachronique des caractéristiques physiques et structurelles ». Tyre, Sidon, Byblos. Three Global Harbours of the Ancient World. Archaeological Symposium. 25-29th October 2017. Beyrouth.
Byblos, Tyr et Sidon sont trois ports majeurs de la cote du Levant actifs depuis l’Âge du Bronze jusqu’à nos jours. Tous trois ont été l’objet de fouilles archéologiques et d’études géomorphologiques fondamentales dont les résultats ont été repris de nombreuses fois dans la littérature sur les ports méditerranéens dans l’Antiquité. Même si nos connaissances de ces trois sites maritimes demeurent en certains points lacunaires, il est désormais possible d’en dresser un tableau comparatif et évolutif fiable. L’objectif de cette communication est de suivre l’évolution physique de ces trois ports en insistant sur les potentialités portuaires naturelles et leur anthropisation depuis l’Âge du Bronze jusqu’à l’époque romaine. On se propose alors de mesurer l’impact de l’anthropisation d’un milieu naturel en termes de capacité et d’amélioration des conditions portuaire en relation avec des processus historiques proches mais non identiques.
Byblos, Tyr et Sidon sont trois ports majeurs de la cote du Levant actifs depuis l’Âge du Bronze jusqu’à nos jours. Tous trois ont été l’objet de fouilles archéologiques et d’études géomorphologiques fondamentales dont les résultats ont été repris de nombreuses fois dans la littérature sur les ports méditerranéens dans l’Antiquité. Même si nos connaissances de ces trois sites maritimes demeurent en certains points lacunaires, il est désormais possible d’en dresser un tableau comparatif et évolutif fiable. L’objectif de cette communication est de suivre l’évolution physique de ces trois ports en insistant sur les potentialités portuaires naturelles et leur anthropisation depuis l’Âge du Bronze jusqu’à l’époque romaine. On se propose alors de mesurer l’impact de l’anthropisation d’un milieu naturel en termes de capacité et d’amélioration des conditions portuaire en relation avec des processus historiques proches mais non identiques.
Research Interests:
N. Carayon, “The impact of Honor Frost on Phoenician port studies in the Levant”, Under the Mediterranean: 100 years on… The Honor Frost Foundation conference of ‘Mediterranean Maritime Archaeology’ to commemorate the Anniversary of the... more
N. Carayon, “The impact of Honor Frost on Phoenician port studies in the Levant”, Under the Mediterranean: 100 years on… The Honor Frost Foundation conference of ‘Mediterranean Maritime Archaeology’ to commemorate the Anniversary of the Centenary of Honor Frost’s Birth on the island of Cyprus. (27 October 1917) Nicosia, 20-24 October 2017
From the 60s onwards, Honor Frost wrote a series of paper focused on underwater archaeology in the Levant. Obviously, she had to deal with famous Phoenicians city ports as Tyre, Sidon, Byblos and Arwad. She explored the sea bottom and analysed submerged harbour infrastructures. As well, she related underwater remains of ancient ports with emerged structures in order to understand the relationship between the land and the sea. This double approach allowed her to raise the fundamental issues of relative sea-level changes and maritime palaeo-landscape thirty years before the development of harbour geoarchaeology. As a pioneer, the tools nowadays almost systematically used were not yet available but she performed a real interdisciplinary approach which remains the methodological approach used in recent or current projects about ancient ports in the Levant and beyond. This paper aims to replace her impact on Phoenicians ports studies within the historiographical context of harbour geoarchaeology and to focus on the relevance of the questions she raised.
From the 60s onwards, Honor Frost wrote a series of paper focused on underwater archaeology in the Levant. Obviously, she had to deal with famous Phoenicians city ports as Tyre, Sidon, Byblos and Arwad. She explored the sea bottom and analysed submerged harbour infrastructures. As well, she related underwater remains of ancient ports with emerged structures in order to understand the relationship between the land and the sea. This double approach allowed her to raise the fundamental issues of relative sea-level changes and maritime palaeo-landscape thirty years before the development of harbour geoarchaeology. As a pioneer, the tools nowadays almost systematically used were not yet available but she performed a real interdisciplinary approach which remains the methodological approach used in recent or current projects about ancient ports in the Levant and beyond. This paper aims to replace her impact on Phoenicians ports studies within the historiographical context of harbour geoarchaeology and to focus on the relevance of the questions she raised.
Research Interests:
N. Carayon and S.J. Keay, "(1) Micro-regions, connectivity and "port-systems": ongoing research by the ERC Portuslimen project", Harbours-Cities-Microregions, 3rd meeting of the « Hafengruppe » of Cluster 6 « Connecting Cultures », DAI... more
N. Carayon and S.J. Keay, "(1) Micro-regions, connectivity and "port-systems": ongoing research by the ERC Portuslimen project", Harbours-Cities-Microregions, 3rd meeting of the « Hafengruppe » of Cluster 6 « Connecting Cultures », DAI Istanbul 26th-27th May 2017
Research Interests:
N. Carayon, "Îles, îlots et ports. L’utilisation des îles et des îlots dans le cadre des systèmes portuaires phéniciens et puniques", Colloque international Insularité, îléité, insularisation en Méditerranée phénicienne et punique, Ibiza,... more
N. Carayon, "Îles, îlots et ports. L’utilisation des îles et des îlots dans le cadre des systèmes portuaires phéniciens et puniques", Colloque international Insularité, îléité, insularisation en Méditerranée phénicienne et punique, Ibiza, Musée monographique de Puig des Molins, 29-30 mars 2017
Research Interests:
N. Carayon, “Ports, Harbours and Anchorages: Working towards a Definition of the Concept of Port Systems”, Portuslimen: Rome’s Mediterranean Ports (RoMP) Workshop on Archaeological Fieldwork. British School at Rome. 26-27th January 2017
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Fos-sur-Mer has been identified with the ancient Fossae Mariannae and one of the maritime ports of Arles (ancient Arelate). Underwater excavations undertook by the DRASSM and the University of Marseille/Aix-en-Provence since 2012 in the... more
Fos-sur-Mer has been identified with the ancient Fossae Mariannae and one of the maritime ports of Arles (ancient Arelate). Underwater excavations undertook by the DRASSM and the University of Marseille/Aix-en-Provence since 2012 in the gulf of Fos have uncovered several substantial structures related to the ancient harbour system. Within the framework of the new Collective Project of Research “Fossae Mariannae” and thanks to a partnership with the ERC RoMP project, a team from the University of Southampton undertook a geophysical survey on several beaches around the Fos-sur-Mer peninsula. We aim to present the preliminary results of the underwater excavations and of the geophysical survey undertook in 2016. As well we will present the 2017 campaign of fieldwork.
Research Interests:
"The harbour system of Narbo Martius (Narbonne, France) and its facilities during Antiquity", Harbours as objects of interdisciplinary research – Archaeology + History + Geosciences DFG Priority Programme 1630 „Harbours from the Roman... more
"The harbour system of Narbo Martius (Narbonne, France) and its facilities during Antiquity", Harbours as objects of interdisciplinary research – Archaeology + History + Geosciences DFG Priority Programme 1630 „Harbours from the Roman Period to the Middle Ages“, Kiel, 30th of September – 3rd of October 2015
The actual city of Narbonne in south of France was the capital of the Roman province of Gallia Narbonensis and a city-port located at the crossroad of the Via Domitia which linked Italy to Spain and the Via Aquitania which linked the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. Its port, the “emporion of all Gaul” in the words of Strabo was in fact a vast system of hundreds of occupation sites organised around a huge natural water area into a local internal network.
Within the framework of the ERC funded project Rome’s Mediterranean Ports – Portus Limen and thanks to a partnership with the Collective Project of Research: Les ports antiques de Narbonne (CNRS, UMR 5140 Archéologie des sociétés méditerranéennes), it has been possible to precisely define what was the harbour system of the Colonia Narbo Martius since its foundation in 118 BC until the late antiquity.
This paper aims to reconstruct the evolution of this harbour system taking into account the major transformation of the landscape, the human occupation of the area and the artificial development of the harbour activities. The recent archaeological discoveries allow new interpretations about the functioning of one of the most important Roman port of the western Mediterranean. The integration of all the data available into a GIS and into an interdisciplinary database allows visualizing the harbour system and its evolution over five centuries.
The actual city of Narbonne in south of France was the capital of the Roman province of Gallia Narbonensis and a city-port located at the crossroad of the Via Domitia which linked Italy to Spain and the Via Aquitania which linked the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. Its port, the “emporion of all Gaul” in the words of Strabo was in fact a vast system of hundreds of occupation sites organised around a huge natural water area into a local internal network.
Within the framework of the ERC funded project Rome’s Mediterranean Ports – Portus Limen and thanks to a partnership with the Collective Project of Research: Les ports antiques de Narbonne (CNRS, UMR 5140 Archéologie des sociétés méditerranéennes), it has been possible to precisely define what was the harbour system of the Colonia Narbo Martius since its foundation in 118 BC until the late antiquity.
This paper aims to reconstruct the evolution of this harbour system taking into account the major transformation of the landscape, the human occupation of the area and the artificial development of the harbour activities. The recent archaeological discoveries allow new interpretations about the functioning of one of the most important Roman port of the western Mediterranean. The integration of all the data available into a GIS and into an interdisciplinary database allows visualizing the harbour system and its evolution over five centuries.
Research Interests:
Over the last 20 years, the geoarchaeology of ancient harbours has been a very active area of research around the Mediterranean basin, generating much palaeoenvironmental data from many sites, including estimations of sedimentation rates,... more
Over the last 20 years, the geoarchaeology of ancient harbours has been a very active area of research around the Mediterranean basin, generating much palaeoenvironmental data from many sites, including estimations of sedimentation rates, the height of the ancient sea-level at different dates and palaeo-geographical reconstructions. Combining this information has proved a major challenge. This article proposes a new chart called the Palaeoenvironmental Age-Depth Model (PADM chart), that allows the researchers to combine all relevant indicators in order to estimate harbour potential of a given ancient port, and to generate comparable data between harbours in terms of degree of closure and water depth available against a synchronised chronology. This new approach, developed in the context of the ERC-funded RoMP Portuslimen project, takes into account estimations of water depths relating to differing Roman ship draughts at different periods. It is tested against the palaeoenvironmental evidence published over 10 years from two Roman harbours located at the mouth of the river Tiber: Ostia and Portus. This reveals that: (1) there has been an underestimate of the real sedimentation rates due to the margins of error of the radiocarbon dates; (2) there was effective control of the water column by dredging; (3) there were different periods of control of the sedimentation. We suggest that the navigability of the Ostia harbour by ships with shallower draughts was maintained until sometime between the 2nd c. BC and 1st c. AD, while at Portus it was retained until the 6th—7th c. AD.
Research Interests: Geoarchaeology, Palaeoenvironment, Paleoenvironment, Ostia (Archaeology), Paleoenvironment (Archaeology), and 15 moreImperial Rome, Ports and Harbours, Coastal geoarchaeology, Ancient Rome, Harbour Archaeology, Geoarchaeology and Paleoenvironmental Reconstructions, Tiber Valley, Ancient Harbours, Ostia, Quaternary Geoarchaeology, Ostia, Portus, Ostia Antica, Ancient Ports and Harbours, Age-depth modelling, and Ancient Mediterranean Harbours
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Nicolas Carayon et Tiphaine Salel, Rapport préliminaire sur la campagne de carottage réalisée en janvier 2014 au Sud du tell de Byblos (orphelinat arménien). Dans le cadre du projet Byblos et la Mer (M. Francis-Allouche et N. Grimal,... more
Nicolas Carayon et Tiphaine Salel, Rapport préliminaire sur la campagne de carottage réalisée en janvier 2014 au Sud du tell de Byblos (orphelinat arménien). Dans le cadre du projet Byblos et la Mer (M. Francis-Allouche et N. Grimal, Collège de France, coord.), Lattes-Montpellier, 2014, 70 p.
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N. Carayon, Cl. Flaux et C. Sanchez, Rapport sur les fouilles programmées. Lac de Capelles 2012 (Port-la-Nautique, Narbonne, Aude), rapport SRA, Lattes/Montpellier, 2012, 590 p.
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N. Carayon, Rapport sur les fouilles programmées au Lac de Capelles 2011 (Port-la-Nautique, Narbonne, Aude), rapport SRA, Lattes/Montpellier, 2011, 205 p.
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N. Carayon, Prospections archéologiques diachroniques sur l’île Sainte-Lucie (Port-la-Nouvelle, Aude), rapport SRA, Lattes/Montpellier, 2010, 175 p.
Research Interests:
Au Sud-Est de l'île de Chypre, sur les rives de la baie de Larnaca, ouverte vers le levant, l'antique cité de Kition fut fondée au 13ème siècle avant J.-C. Installée sur une ancienne terrasse marine et entourée par un mur d'enceinte... more
Au Sud-Est de l'île de Chypre, sur les rives de la baie de Larnaca, ouverte vers le levant, l'antique cité de Kition fut fondée au 13ème siècle avant J.-C. Installée sur une ancienne terrasse marine et entourée par un mur d'enceinte cyclopéen, la cité se distingue au Sud-Est (quartier de Bamboula) par la présence d'un port militaire d'époque classique abritant des rampes de hallages très bien préservées (Yon, 2000 ; Morhange et al., 2000 ; Sourisseau et al., 2003). Au Nord de la cité, le quartier de Kathari, situé en face d'une nécropole classique de la ville, abrite une zone de temples ainsi que des ateliers de travail du cuivre. L'organisation interne des ports phéniciens laisse à penser que la cité pouvait abriter un port de commerce éventuellement localisé au pied du quartier de Kathari dans une ancienne petite baie aujourd'hui colmaté. Afin de reconstituer l'évolution paléo-environnementale du littoral dans ce secteur et de comprendre l'organisation de la cité phénicienne, nous avons réalisé une série de 9 carottages répartis dans l'ancienne baie de Kathari. Les résultats bio-sédimentologiques révèlent une mobilité des rivages dictée par les apports sédimentaires fluviaux du Tremithos. Vers le 5ème siècle avant J.-C., des apports sédimentaires grossiers sont responsables de la transformation de la baie de Kathari en un milieu lagunaire, évoluant ensuite progressivement en un marais d'eau douce. Cet environnement lagunaire protégé naturellement par ce cordon de galets a donc favorisé l'installation d'une activité portuaire militaire à Bamboula et probablement commerciale à Kathari.
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Géoarchéologie de Port‐la‐Nautique (étangs narbonnais) par Clément Flaux, Nicolas Carayon, Camille Faïsse, Max Guy, Tiphaine Salel and Corinne Sanchez Méditerranée (online) 2020 https://journals.openedition.org/mediterranee/11732... more
Géoarchéologie de Port‐la‐Nautique (étangs narbonnais)
par Clément Flaux, Nicolas Carayon, Camille Faïsse, Max Guy, Tiphaine Salel and Corinne Sanchez
Méditerranée (online) 2020
https://journals.openedition.org/mediterranee/11732
Narbonne’s port history is inscribed within a complex and labile fluvio-lagoonal geography. We present the case of Port–la–Nautique, located on the northern shores of Narbonne’s lagoon. Archaeological studies have shown dense harbour activities between the 1st century BC and the 1st century AD. Eighty-three sedimentary sequences and geoarchaeological data have allowed to better understand the evolution of Port–la–Nautique shores, as well as Narbonne’s lagoons palaeo-hydrology:
1 - topography of the miocene marly substratum presents a valley morphology which favored accessibility from the Quatourze plateau to relatively deep lagoon shores. Phreatic sources are also present at the site ;
2 - lagoon palaeo-level is recorded between – 5 and – 5.6 m NGF and between – 0.6 and – 0.3 m NGF at ca. 7500 and 2000 years BP respectively, according to sedimentological, biological and archaeological indicators ;
3 - assembly of fauna remains indicate during Antiquity a lagoonal environment largely open to the sea ;
4 - assembly of fauna also indicate that following antiquity the site undergoes a progressive confinement, likely linked to the natural compartmentalization of Narbonne lagoons ;
5 - roman and modern periods are characterized by (apparent mean sedimentation???) rate of 9 ± 5 mm.an-1 and 33 ± 6 mm.an-1, respectively, against a much lower 0.5 ± 0.2 mm.an-1 for the entire Holocene period. These two periods of relatively high sedimentation rate are tentatively related to the presence of harbour structures, whose protection against sea swell also induced a sedimentary trap ;
6 - during the site occupation, bathymetry evolved from 2.7 to 1 m in western and center areas and from 3.2 to 2 m in the east. The progressive diminution of the water column closed harbour access to mid-capacity boats and could have induced the decline of harbour activities at Port–la–Nautique in the second half of the 1st century AD.
par Clément Flaux, Nicolas Carayon, Camille Faïsse, Max Guy, Tiphaine Salel and Corinne Sanchez
Méditerranée (online) 2020
https://journals.openedition.org/mediterranee/11732
Narbonne’s port history is inscribed within a complex and labile fluvio-lagoonal geography. We present the case of Port–la–Nautique, located on the northern shores of Narbonne’s lagoon. Archaeological studies have shown dense harbour activities between the 1st century BC and the 1st century AD. Eighty-three sedimentary sequences and geoarchaeological data have allowed to better understand the evolution of Port–la–Nautique shores, as well as Narbonne’s lagoons palaeo-hydrology:
1 - topography of the miocene marly substratum presents a valley morphology which favored accessibility from the Quatourze plateau to relatively deep lagoon shores. Phreatic sources are also present at the site ;
2 - lagoon palaeo-level is recorded between – 5 and – 5.6 m NGF and between – 0.6 and – 0.3 m NGF at ca. 7500 and 2000 years BP respectively, according to sedimentological, biological and archaeological indicators ;
3 - assembly of fauna remains indicate during Antiquity a lagoonal environment largely open to the sea ;
4 - assembly of fauna also indicate that following antiquity the site undergoes a progressive confinement, likely linked to the natural compartmentalization of Narbonne lagoons ;
5 - roman and modern periods are characterized by (apparent mean sedimentation???) rate of 9 ± 5 mm.an-1 and 33 ± 6 mm.an-1, respectively, against a much lower 0.5 ± 0.2 mm.an-1 for the entire Holocene period. These two periods of relatively high sedimentation rate are tentatively related to the presence of harbour structures, whose protection against sea swell also induced a sedimentary trap ;
6 - during the site occupation, bathymetry evolved from 2.7 to 1 m in western and center areas and from 3.2 to 2 m in the east. The progressive diminution of the water column closed harbour access to mid-capacity boats and could have induced the decline of harbour activities at Port–la–Nautique in the second half of the 1st century AD.
Research Interests:
Ce catalogue accompagne l'exposition « D'un port à l'autre. Voyage en Méditerranée romaine » réalisée dans le cadre du programme de recherche Fosphora (Fos-Ostie-Portus : Harbours of Roman Antiquity) soutenu par l'Initiative d'Excellence... more
Ce catalogue accompagne l'exposition « D'un port à l'autre. Voyage en Méditerranée romaine » réalisée dans le cadre du programme de recherche Fosphora (Fos-Ostie-Portus : Harbours of Roman Antiquity) soutenu par l'Initiative d'Excellence d'Aix-Marseille Université. Les équipes scientifiques internationales impliquées confrontent leurs méthodes d'approche et les résultats obtenus sur les deux plus importants complexes portuaires romains de Méditerranée occidentale : Rome/Ostie/Portus et Arles/Fos. Le premier, partiellement recouvert par les limons du Tibre, présente des vestiges monumentaux bien conservés et constitue un laboratoire privilégié pour l'étude des ports antiques. À Fos, l'essentiel des constructions portuaires, autrefois reliées au Rhône par un canal de navigation, gît sous quelques mètres d'eau. Grâce aux nouvelles techniques d'investigation et aux recherches en archives, la reconstitution des paysages et l'articulation entre les différents aménagements prend forme tandis que l'étude des inscriptions et la richesse des collections mises au jour par l'archéologie permettent de faire revivre l'intense activité partagée par une population portuaire cosmopolite.