Renard Gluzman, Venetian Shipping from the Days of Glory to Decline, 1453–1571 (Leiden; Boston: Brill, 2021), 561pp., 2021
“Voilà un livre irremplaçable. Pour la première fois, un auteur choisit de traiter de la navigati... more “Voilà un livre irremplaçable. Pour la première fois, un auteur choisit de traiter de la navigation vénitienne sous ses multiples aspects, politique, commercial, social, fiscal, du marché protégé au marché noir ou, si l’on préfère, de l’observation stricte des lois votées par les Conseils de la République, très attentifs à sauvegarder les positions commerciales de leur ville, à la contrebande durement réprimée, de la construction au naufrage provoqué et compensé par l’assurance maritime.”
“[…] an essential tool for all those interested in Venice and the major source of her influence and her prosperity, her ships of all kinds.”
----Susan Rose, in: The Mariner's Mirror (2022) 108(4): pp.480-481
Abstract: Drawing from a broad range of hitherto unpublished archival material and the reconstructed biographies of hundreds of San Marco ships, this book provides a critical overview of the Republic’s shipping activities contemporary with the major geographical discoveries of the period, the ascendency of the Ottoman Empire in the Mediterranean, and the on-going struggle among the major European powers for political and economic hegemony. Within this complex framework, the agency of environmental factors receives equal importance beside geopolitics and economic interests, challenging the accepted hierarchy of the factors impacting the maritime history of Venice.
Renard Gluzman, "What Makes a Ship Venetian? (13th–16th centuries)," in Cultures of empire: Rethinking Venetian rule, 1400–1700: Essays in honour of Benjamin Arbel, edited by Georg Christ, Franz-Julius Morche (Leiden; Boston: Brill, 2020), pp. 293–328., 2020
Today, international maritime law requires that every merchant ship be registered in a country ca... more Today, international maritime law requires that every merchant ship be registered in a country called its flag state; this, in turn, allows a ship to travel internationally. In Early Modern Venice, the concept of ship registration was quite different. In fact, Venice never attempted to assemble the multitude of ships and smaller vessels that were built and operated in Venice and its overseas territories into one registry. The complex statutory framework in Venice is the reason why modern scholars almost entirely avoid the peculiarities of the legal status of private vessels. Even the basic questions have thus far remained unanswered: Did ships fly flags? Were they perceived as part of a collective merchant marine? What was the legal status of a colonial ship? How was it treated by port authorities across the borders? Did certain ships have privileges? And if so, why were they denied others? Did the identity of the ship-owner have an effect on the legal status of his ship? This chapter addresses these issues and presents a framework for a wider discussion of the legal status of merchant ships under Venetian rule.
Renard Gluzman, "What Makes a Ship Venetian? (13th–16th centuries)," in Cultures of empire: Rethinking Venetian rule, 1400–1700: Essays in honour of Benjamin Arbel, edited by Georg Christ, Franz-Julius Morche (Leiden; Boston: Brill, 2020), pp. 293–328.
Renard Gluzman, "Ship biographies as a form of microhistory," in Venezia e il senso del mare. Percezioni e rappresentazioni, eds. Maurice Aymard, Ermanno Orlando (Venice: Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti, VSLA, 2022), pp. 93-110., 2023
The present article explores the potential of ship itineraries and further biographies (metaphori... more The present article explores the potential of ship itineraries and further biographies (metaphorically speaking) as a form of microhistory, and as a powerful tool to weigh up large-scale processes. By following the venetian-flagged Nicolosa of 780 tons, i examine how ship biographies provides a narrative framework to amalgamate a cluster of disparate experiences at sea, shared within the same vessel of space and time. The ‘life’ of our floating protagonist opens a panorama on many facets of the world of shipping, be it social-, economic-, or environment related. it also alerts us to the potential to recapture the interrelationship of the local and the global by comparing assorted biographies of vessels operating in different maritime zones spanning over a longer period.
Renard Gluzman, "Ship biographies as a form of microhistory," in Venezia e il senso del mare. Percezioni e rappresentazioni, eds. Maurice Aymard, Ermanno Orlando (Venice: Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti, VSLA, 2022), pp. 93-110.
In this paper, we explore the growing trend of European game developers embracing their cultural ... more In this paper, we explore the growing trend of European game developers embracing their cultural heritage with greater dedication. Taking a bottom-up approach, we showcase various successful examples of games that engage with local cultural canons. Additionally, we investigate how games can evolve into creators of cultural heritage by examining those that have already achieved such status. Furthermore, we delve into the potential fusion between independent games and cultural heritage by presenting several paradigms and posing pertinent questions about this evolution. Our study offers a framework that envisions games with strong local identities from diverse regions forming transnational networks and agencies within the videogame industry. Such developments could give rise to a new European game scene that draws inspiration primarily from local heritages, thereby fueling creativity and innovation in the field.
Renard Gluzman, "Between Venice and the Levant: Re-evaluating Maritime Routes from the Fourteenth to the Sixteenth Century," The Mariner's Mirror, v. 96, n. 3 (August 2010), 262–292., Jan 1, 2010
"The article re-evaluates maritime routes from Venice to the Levant and back from the Fourteenth ... more "The article re-evaluates maritime routes from Venice to the Levant and back from the Fourteenth to the Sixteenth centuries, casting doubt on the conclusions arrived at by historians working within the primarily geographic approach. The paper examines records from over 150 voyages, such as diaries and travelogues of travelers and pilgrims, as well as taking into consideration geographic studies and various navigational aids used today. The study concludes that during this period, Venetian vessels sailed greater distances and much farther from the coast than had previously been thought, and that crossing open water was an integral part of any long distance voyage.
The study was undertaken for the MA dissertation at Tel Aviv University's Department of History under the supervision of Prof. Benjamin Arbel, and accepted by Prof. David Jacoby.
Online access follow the link below. If you are having hard time finding it, please write me.
Renard Gluzman, "Between Venice and the Levant: Re-evaluating Maritime Routes from the Fourteenth to the Sixteenth Century," The Mariner's Mirror, v. 96, n. 3 (August 2010), 262–292.
"To See Venice in a Grain of Sand. An Experiment in Writing a Microhistory of Waterway Erosion Instigated By a Shipwreck, 1607–1622," Convivium X/1, April 2023 thematic issue: The Architecture of Medieval Port Cities: Italy and the Mediterranean, Edited by Sarah K. Kozlowski, pp. 87-99., 2023
With the overwhelming volume of studies on Venice's port architecture and coastal protection, the... more With the overwhelming volume of studies on Venice's port architecture and coastal protection, the challenge lies in conveying the science of hydraulics to a larger body of lay readers. The following is an experiment in writing a compelling narrative of sand over a relatively short period of twelve years. It starts with a fifteen-year-old carcass of a wreck and the risk of capsizing. We then tabled how the erosion of sandbanks triggered by the stranded wreck affected the subsequent silting of the canal. In turn, this impacted the relationships between land and sea, twixt arrivals and departures, access and obstruction. Our modest microhistory of sand offers a panorama of the maritime know-how and technology that came into play. Finally, this essay reflects on microhistory's potential to plunge into port architecture's technicalities. This approach allows us to understand the exquisitely practical in-depth details of the architectural response to significant contemporary events.
Renard Gluzman, "To See Venice in a Grain of Sand. An Experiment in Writing a Microhistory of Waterway Erosion Instigated By a Shipwreck, 1607–1622," Convivium X/1, April 2023 thematic issue: The Architecture of Medieval Port Cities: Italy and the Mediterranean, Edited by Sarah K. Kozlowski, pp. 87-99.
Renard Gluzman, "Notes on Venice’s Ship-Breaking Industry and the Scrap Market in the Sixteenth-Century," The Journal of European Economic History, no. 2, September 2018, pp. 83–95., 2018
In the past few decades the infamous industry of ship demolition is gradually shifting from the l... more In the past few decades the infamous industry of ship demolition is gradually shifting from the less industrial European societies eastwards to developing economies like India and Bangladesh. Back in the sixteenth century, this profitable industry thrived alongside shipbuilding in the very heart of Europe’s maritime powers. The rare discovery of two contracts with ship-breakers from Venice has shed valuable light on this largely obscure yet crucial practice that ensured the Republic a steady supply of reusable materials directed toward building new ships, edifices, and infrastructures in a period that is marked by a general depletion of the sources of timber in northern Italy and Istria.
Renard Gluzman, "Notes on Venice’s Ship-Breaking Industry and the Scrap Market in the Sixteenth-Century," The Journal of European Economic History, no. 2, September 2018, pp. 83–95.
Renard Gluzman, Gerassimos Pagratis, "Tracking Venice’s Maritime Traffic in the First Age of Globalization: A Geospatial Analysis," Reti maritime come fattori dell’integrazione europea, la 50ª Settimana di Studi, Fondazione F. Datini, Prato (13-17 Maggio 2018) (Prato: F. Datini, 2019), pp. 259–277., 2018
The present collaborative work in progress is an empirical attempt verifying the interplay betwee... more The present collaborative work in progress is an empirical attempt verifying the interplay between political change, fleet nationality, and the evolution of shipping networks. On the basis of historical data on ship positions retracted from archival sources, we create GIS-based online maps to conduct a geospatial analysis of the traffic intensity and movement patterns along the regional and inter-regional sea routes that connected the Venetian port system with the Mediterranean ports, with special attention to the Eastern Mediterranean.
Renard Gluzman, Gerassimos Pagratis, "Tracking Venice’s Maritime Traffic in the First Age of Globalization: A Geospatial Analysis," in the proceedings to Reti maritime come fattori dell’integrazione europea, la 50ª Settimana di Studi, Fondazione F. Datini, Prato (13-17 Maggio 2018) (Prato: F. Datini, 2019), pp. 259–277.
Renard Gluzman, "Resurrection of a Sunken Ship: The Salvage of the Venetian Marciliana That Saved Cattaro from Barbarossa," Archivio Veneto, sesta serie, n. 8 (2014), 29–78., Jan 2015
Scuttling a ship to block a port’s entrance was a well known practice in the Mediterranean also d... more Scuttling a ship to block a port’s entrance was a well known practice in the Mediterranean also during the sixteenth century. In times of war, lacking other means of defence, merchant ships were retained in port and later scuttled to create an underwater barricade.
This article recounts the salvage operation of a sunken marciliana in Cattaro (Kottor, Montenegro), following the successful defence of the city against the attack by the Ottoman fleet in 1539. The ship was scuttled by orders of the Venetian governor, Zuan-Matteo Bembo, at the entrance to the estuary to prevent small enemy vessels from approaching the walls. There it lay idle for more than 3 months before being salvaged and repaired. Consequently the ship set sail for its return voyage to Venice.
Based on unpublished archival evidence, and primarily the ship’s records of expenses, this article reconstructs the chain of events that led to the submersion of the ship and discuses the salvage procedures. This rare example of a detailed list of expenses belonging to a coastal vessel is also a unique opportunity to discuss various aspects of ship operation in this period.
Renard Gluzman, "Resurrection of a Sunken Ship: The Salvage of the Venetian Marciliana That Saved Cattaro from Barbarossa," Archivio Veneto, sesta serie, n. 8 (2014), 29–78.
Renard Gluzman, Review: "'Salariato' della nave Girarda-San Nicolò per il viaggio da Venezia alla Sardegna (1594–1595)," Mediterranean Historical Review, Volume 28, Issue 2, 2013, 234–237., Dec 10, 2013
A book review of the newly published ledger of a Venetian merchant ship, the Girarda, on its voya... more A book review of the newly published ledger of a Venetian merchant ship, the Girarda, on its voyage from Venice to Sardinia and back in 1594, edited by Giovanni Pellegrini with an introduction by Stefano Piasentini // Online access to the first 50 colleagues - follow the eprint link bellow.
Renard Gluzman, Review: "'Salariato' della nave Girarda-San Nicolò per il viaggio da Venezia alla Sardegna (1594–1595)," Mediterranean Historical Review, Volume 28, Issue 2, 2013, 234–237.
Renard Gluzman, Vered Pnueli, "Fear, Greed, and The Exclusion of The ‘Local’ in the Formation of a Global Gaming Industry in Israel," Proceedings of the 2022 DiGRA International Conference: Bringing Worlds Together, Kraków (7-11 July 2022)., 2022
The digital games industry is predominantly helmed by giant game companies catering for unified g... more The digital games industry is predominantly helmed by giant game companies catering for unified global themes. Despite the rise of handy tools and online stores that provide more opportunities for independent developers, games contents rarely reflect Israel’s current lifestyle. This paper focuses on the volatile history of Israeli games culture as we explore the specific circumstances that deterred developers from creating games engaged with the local way of life. We observe how endogenous and exogenous factors encourage companies and creators to deliberately strip regional characteristics from their products while adhering to global trends. This tendency is widespread in the commercial and independent games industries. As gaming becomes a dominant media and art form, we urge new actions to promote games inspired by local culture, themes, and aesthetics
Renard Gluzman, Vered Pnueli, "Fear, Greed, and The Exclusion of The ‘Local’ in the Formation of a Global Gaming Industry in Israel," Proceedings of the 2022 DiGRA International Conference: Bringing Worlds Together, Kraków (7-11 July 2022).
Renard Gluzman, Vered Pnueli, "Envisioning a cosmopolitan age for gaming. A case study of speculative future for the Israeli games industry," FDG '22: Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on the Foundations of Digital Games Proceedings, Athens (5-8 September 2022)., 2022
This paper suggests a speculative scenario for the Israeli games industry. In this scenario we li... more This paper suggests a speculative scenario for the Israeli games industry. In this scenario we live in a cosmopolitan age whereby digital games produced in the peripheral countries will attain global acknowledgement by incorporating local attributes first. We propose cosmopolitanism as a strategy for imagining alternative futures for emergent game endeavors around the globe. Cosmopolitanism can be considered as a global identity that transcends cultures and countries and brings together cultural elements from different parts of the world. It is a perspective that emphasizes the search for more inclusive forms of social relations between "global citizens" and a global outlook and openness to difference. By way of example, we chose several nationally acclaimed Israeli games as a case study. This paper will explore an alternative future for these games. By doing so, we hope to open such dialogue and call developers around the globe to adopt a cosmopolitan way of making games.
Renard Gluzman, Vered Pnueli, "Envisioning a cosmopolitan age for gaming. A case study of speculative future for the Israeli games industry," FDG '22: Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on the Foundations of Digital Games Proceedings, Athens (5-8 September 2022).
Hocquet, J. (2023). Renard Gluzman, Venetian Shipping from the Days of Glory to Decline, 1453-157... more Hocquet, J. (2023). Renard Gluzman, Venetian Shipping from the Days of Glory to Decline, 1453-1571, Leyde, Brill, 2021, 547 p. Annales. Histoire, Sciences Sociales, 78(2), 389-391. doi:10.1017/ahss.2023.81
The Mariner's Mirror, Volume 108, 2022 - Issue 4, 2022
Susan Rose (2022). Review of Venetian Shipping: From the days of glory to decline, 1453–1571 by R... more Susan Rose (2022). Review of Venetian Shipping: From the days of glory to decline, 1453–1571 by R. Gluzman, Brill Studies in Maritime History, vol. 10, Leiden, 2021, €120, 547 pages, illustrations, bibliography, ISBN 9789004398160 Pages 480-481 | Published online: 26 Oct 2022.
Renard Gluzman, Venetian Shipping from the Days of Glory to Decline, 1453–1571 (Leiden; Boston: Brill, 2021), 561pp., 2021
https://brill.com/view/title/54752. Drawing from a broad range of hitherto unpublished archival m... more https://brill.com/view/title/54752. Drawing from a broad range of hitherto unpublished archival material and the reconstructed biographies of hundreds of San Marco ships, this book provides a critical overview of the Republic's shipping activities contemporary with the major geographical discoveries of the period, the ascendency of the Ottoman Empire in the Mediterranean, and the ongoing struggle among the major European powers for political and economic hegemony. Within this complex framework, the agency of environmental factors receives equal importance beside geopolitics and economic interests, challenging the accepted hierarchy of the factors impacting the maritime history of Venice. Readership All those interested in the history of the Republic of Venice and its territories in Dalmatia, Greece, and the Levant, and scholars inquiring into early modern maritime and global history.
Users who have access to the e-book via their institutional library can make use of our Mybook option and purchase a paperback copy of the book for 25 EUR/USD. For more information contact me.
Renard Gluzman, Venetian Shipping from the Days of Glory to Decline, 1453–1571 (Leiden; Boston: Brill, 2021), 561pp.
Existing databases of ancient shipwrecks are primarily based on archaeological finds. Conversely,... more Existing databases of ancient shipwrecks are primarily based on archaeological finds. Conversely, this project relies on written evidence contemporary with the wrecks in question. In this way, this endeavour aspires to provide archaeologists with the opportunity to match their finds against the historical data or use this data as leads for possible new discoveries.
The “shipwrecks” project was launched during my doctoral research in 2015, with the support of the Honor Frost Foundation and the Institute of Nautical Archaeology. I have delimited my scope to the period of seventy-six years (1474–1550) covered in my dissertation. In 2016, the chronological timeframe was extended to cover also the years 1551 to 1571 that mark the last years of Venetian hegemony in Cyprus. So far, I have collected 1,271 indications related to more than 300 shipwrecks concerning Eastern Mediterranean. The findings are the result of research conducted in Venice’s archives and libraries, principally in the Archivio di Stato di Venezia and the Museo Civico Correr, complemented from published sources: i.e., chronicles, travel accounts, etc.
The archival research work is now close to meeting completion. In the following months, the findings will be put online using a GIS software. One of the objectives in 2018 is to strengthen the connection points between historical and archaeological finds. This would be achieved by collaborating with institutions of marine archaeology that are mapping and dating wrecks, and teams engaged in the excavations of shipwrecks dated to this period. The collaborative work would allow me to crosscheck the historical evidence with “areas specific surveys” of the sea bottom. This, in turn, may lead to the development of site-specific survey projects, based on the scientific importance of the findings and their supposed location.
Renard Gluzman, Online database: "Early Modern Shipwrecks: Historical Evidence of Shipwrecks in the Eastern Mediterranean, 1453–1571."
Renard Gluzman historian from Tel-Aviv University argues that Mediterranean seafarers did not hav... more Renard Gluzman historian from Tel-Aviv University argues that Mediterranean seafarers did not have any technological or mental barrier that prevented them from sailing the high seas. This, contrary to a view widely diffused among historians such as Fernand Braudel and John Pryor. According to these authorities, sea voyages in the Mediterranean were limited to predetermined coastal routes until the end of the sixteenth century – more than a century after the great oceanic discoveries of Columbus and Da Gama! In 2018, Gluzman decides to put his theory to the test and conduct a sea trial to discover how accurate fifteenth-century navigation instruments really were. Telling his story to his friends, Tiziano Rossetti professional skipper from Tuscany and Chris experienced boat-builder from Hamburg, they offered to help. With only themselves to count on, the three will set sail in June from Venice to Corfu without GPS or nautical charts, using a replica of the navigational instruments that were used by contemporary seafarers in this sea: the portolano (sailing instructions) attributed to Alvise da Ca’ da Mosto (c. 1490), the nautical atlas of Andrea Bianco (1436), traverse board (a memory aid formally used in dead reckoning navigation), the rule of marteloio (a geometrical technique of navigation), a chip log (basic mechanical tool to measure speed), and a compass.
Renard Gluzman, Sailing project: "Between Venice and the Levant: Crossing the Mediterranean with Early-Modern Navigational Instruments" from June 20 to July 1, 2018.
T2 M 20th Annual Conference Padua (Italy), 21-24 September 2022, 2022
Today, the shipping industry is both highly national and highly international. However, up until ... more Today, the shipping industry is both highly national and highly international. However, up until the mid-twentieth century, merchant shipping has been an extension of national commercial life and national power and prestige. No maritime nation with a genuine link between ownership and registration of its ships has ever been able to develop and maintain a national flag fleet without recourse to some protectionism. Such interventions have traditionally taken the form of cargo reservation, flag discrimination, differential port dues, subsidies for shipbuilding and ship-operating, and institutionalized participation in shipping. However, in times of economic downturn, political crisis, plague, famine, and war, the outcry of merchants and ship-operators over-restrictive policies drove them to use trickery, double-dealing, and other deceptions. Within this context, this paper wishes to examine the different schemes used to disguise a vessel's identity in the early modern Mediterranean, half a millennium prior to the invention of the "flag of convenience." Although this concept was officially acknowledged and legally settled only after World War II, this essay argues that the essential need to "flag out" existed for centuries.
In this methodological seminar we wish to adopt broad concepts of environment, climate and nonhum... more In this methodological seminar we wish to adopt broad concepts of environment, climate and nonhuman agency in Mediterranean history. Thus, to rebalance past-present understandings of the choices that might be made now in respect of renewable energy sources and coastal sustainability.
The fluctuation of gross tonnage in Venice's merchant marine was brought on by the confluence of ... more The fluctuation of gross tonnage in Venice's merchant marine was brought on by the confluence of numerous factors working in parallel. The present analysis draws the attention to environmental factors that were largely responsible for the tragic ending of many ships and for a slowdown in shipping in general between 1527 and 1533. It is maintained that the rise in natural disasters acted as a catalyst of change that led to the introduction of the subvention plan and a more thorough reform in shipping in 1534 and 1535. This, in turn, was effective in recovering the Venetian merchant marine from a prolong crisis from 1544 onward. Sure enough, in this particular point in history, weather events played a prominent role in shaping economies. This however does not necessarily points to environmental determinism. On the contrary, through the examination of an individual case, it would be demonstrated that the resilience of those who steered their business through hard times cannot be underestimated.
Renard Gluzman, Venetian Shipping from the Days of Glory to Decline, 1453–1571 (Leiden; Boston: Brill, 2021), 561pp., 2021
“Voilà un livre irremplaçable. Pour la première fois, un auteur choisit de traiter de la navigati... more “Voilà un livre irremplaçable. Pour la première fois, un auteur choisit de traiter de la navigation vénitienne sous ses multiples aspects, politique, commercial, social, fiscal, du marché protégé au marché noir ou, si l’on préfère, de l’observation stricte des lois votées par les Conseils de la République, très attentifs à sauvegarder les positions commerciales de leur ville, à la contrebande durement réprimée, de la construction au naufrage provoqué et compensé par l’assurance maritime.”
“[…] an essential tool for all those interested in Venice and the major source of her influence and her prosperity, her ships of all kinds.”
----Susan Rose, in: The Mariner's Mirror (2022) 108(4): pp.480-481
Abstract: Drawing from a broad range of hitherto unpublished archival material and the reconstructed biographies of hundreds of San Marco ships, this book provides a critical overview of the Republic’s shipping activities contemporary with the major geographical discoveries of the period, the ascendency of the Ottoman Empire in the Mediterranean, and the on-going struggle among the major European powers for political and economic hegemony. Within this complex framework, the agency of environmental factors receives equal importance beside geopolitics and economic interests, challenging the accepted hierarchy of the factors impacting the maritime history of Venice.
Renard Gluzman, "What Makes a Ship Venetian? (13th–16th centuries)," in Cultures of empire: Rethinking Venetian rule, 1400–1700: Essays in honour of Benjamin Arbel, edited by Georg Christ, Franz-Julius Morche (Leiden; Boston: Brill, 2020), pp. 293–328., 2020
Today, international maritime law requires that every merchant ship be registered in a country ca... more Today, international maritime law requires that every merchant ship be registered in a country called its flag state; this, in turn, allows a ship to travel internationally. In Early Modern Venice, the concept of ship registration was quite different. In fact, Venice never attempted to assemble the multitude of ships and smaller vessels that were built and operated in Venice and its overseas territories into one registry. The complex statutory framework in Venice is the reason why modern scholars almost entirely avoid the peculiarities of the legal status of private vessels. Even the basic questions have thus far remained unanswered: Did ships fly flags? Were they perceived as part of a collective merchant marine? What was the legal status of a colonial ship? How was it treated by port authorities across the borders? Did certain ships have privileges? And if so, why were they denied others? Did the identity of the ship-owner have an effect on the legal status of his ship? This chapter addresses these issues and presents a framework for a wider discussion of the legal status of merchant ships under Venetian rule.
Renard Gluzman, "What Makes a Ship Venetian? (13th–16th centuries)," in Cultures of empire: Rethinking Venetian rule, 1400–1700: Essays in honour of Benjamin Arbel, edited by Georg Christ, Franz-Julius Morche (Leiden; Boston: Brill, 2020), pp. 293–328.
Renard Gluzman, "Ship biographies as a form of microhistory," in Venezia e il senso del mare. Percezioni e rappresentazioni, eds. Maurice Aymard, Ermanno Orlando (Venice: Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti, VSLA, 2022), pp. 93-110., 2023
The present article explores the potential of ship itineraries and further biographies (metaphori... more The present article explores the potential of ship itineraries and further biographies (metaphorically speaking) as a form of microhistory, and as a powerful tool to weigh up large-scale processes. By following the venetian-flagged Nicolosa of 780 tons, i examine how ship biographies provides a narrative framework to amalgamate a cluster of disparate experiences at sea, shared within the same vessel of space and time. The ‘life’ of our floating protagonist opens a panorama on many facets of the world of shipping, be it social-, economic-, or environment related. it also alerts us to the potential to recapture the interrelationship of the local and the global by comparing assorted biographies of vessels operating in different maritime zones spanning over a longer period.
Renard Gluzman, "Ship biographies as a form of microhistory," in Venezia e il senso del mare. Percezioni e rappresentazioni, eds. Maurice Aymard, Ermanno Orlando (Venice: Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti, VSLA, 2022), pp. 93-110.
In this paper, we explore the growing trend of European game developers embracing their cultural ... more In this paper, we explore the growing trend of European game developers embracing their cultural heritage with greater dedication. Taking a bottom-up approach, we showcase various successful examples of games that engage with local cultural canons. Additionally, we investigate how games can evolve into creators of cultural heritage by examining those that have already achieved such status. Furthermore, we delve into the potential fusion between independent games and cultural heritage by presenting several paradigms and posing pertinent questions about this evolution. Our study offers a framework that envisions games with strong local identities from diverse regions forming transnational networks and agencies within the videogame industry. Such developments could give rise to a new European game scene that draws inspiration primarily from local heritages, thereby fueling creativity and innovation in the field.
Renard Gluzman, "Between Venice and the Levant: Re-evaluating Maritime Routes from the Fourteenth to the Sixteenth Century," The Mariner's Mirror, v. 96, n. 3 (August 2010), 262–292., Jan 1, 2010
"The article re-evaluates maritime routes from Venice to the Levant and back from the Fourteenth ... more "The article re-evaluates maritime routes from Venice to the Levant and back from the Fourteenth to the Sixteenth centuries, casting doubt on the conclusions arrived at by historians working within the primarily geographic approach. The paper examines records from over 150 voyages, such as diaries and travelogues of travelers and pilgrims, as well as taking into consideration geographic studies and various navigational aids used today. The study concludes that during this period, Venetian vessels sailed greater distances and much farther from the coast than had previously been thought, and that crossing open water was an integral part of any long distance voyage.
The study was undertaken for the MA dissertation at Tel Aviv University's Department of History under the supervision of Prof. Benjamin Arbel, and accepted by Prof. David Jacoby.
Online access follow the link below. If you are having hard time finding it, please write me.
Renard Gluzman, "Between Venice and the Levant: Re-evaluating Maritime Routes from the Fourteenth to the Sixteenth Century," The Mariner's Mirror, v. 96, n. 3 (August 2010), 262–292.
"To See Venice in a Grain of Sand. An Experiment in Writing a Microhistory of Waterway Erosion Instigated By a Shipwreck, 1607–1622," Convivium X/1, April 2023 thematic issue: The Architecture of Medieval Port Cities: Italy and the Mediterranean, Edited by Sarah K. Kozlowski, pp. 87-99., 2023
With the overwhelming volume of studies on Venice's port architecture and coastal protection, the... more With the overwhelming volume of studies on Venice's port architecture and coastal protection, the challenge lies in conveying the science of hydraulics to a larger body of lay readers. The following is an experiment in writing a compelling narrative of sand over a relatively short period of twelve years. It starts with a fifteen-year-old carcass of a wreck and the risk of capsizing. We then tabled how the erosion of sandbanks triggered by the stranded wreck affected the subsequent silting of the canal. In turn, this impacted the relationships between land and sea, twixt arrivals and departures, access and obstruction. Our modest microhistory of sand offers a panorama of the maritime know-how and technology that came into play. Finally, this essay reflects on microhistory's potential to plunge into port architecture's technicalities. This approach allows us to understand the exquisitely practical in-depth details of the architectural response to significant contemporary events.
Renard Gluzman, "To See Venice in a Grain of Sand. An Experiment in Writing a Microhistory of Waterway Erosion Instigated By a Shipwreck, 1607–1622," Convivium X/1, April 2023 thematic issue: The Architecture of Medieval Port Cities: Italy and the Mediterranean, Edited by Sarah K. Kozlowski, pp. 87-99.
Renard Gluzman, "Notes on Venice’s Ship-Breaking Industry and the Scrap Market in the Sixteenth-Century," The Journal of European Economic History, no. 2, September 2018, pp. 83–95., 2018
In the past few decades the infamous industry of ship demolition is gradually shifting from the l... more In the past few decades the infamous industry of ship demolition is gradually shifting from the less industrial European societies eastwards to developing economies like India and Bangladesh. Back in the sixteenth century, this profitable industry thrived alongside shipbuilding in the very heart of Europe’s maritime powers. The rare discovery of two contracts with ship-breakers from Venice has shed valuable light on this largely obscure yet crucial practice that ensured the Republic a steady supply of reusable materials directed toward building new ships, edifices, and infrastructures in a period that is marked by a general depletion of the sources of timber in northern Italy and Istria.
Renard Gluzman, "Notes on Venice’s Ship-Breaking Industry and the Scrap Market in the Sixteenth-Century," The Journal of European Economic History, no. 2, September 2018, pp. 83–95.
Renard Gluzman, Gerassimos Pagratis, "Tracking Venice’s Maritime Traffic in the First Age of Globalization: A Geospatial Analysis," Reti maritime come fattori dell’integrazione europea, la 50ª Settimana di Studi, Fondazione F. Datini, Prato (13-17 Maggio 2018) (Prato: F. Datini, 2019), pp. 259–277., 2018
The present collaborative work in progress is an empirical attempt verifying the interplay betwee... more The present collaborative work in progress is an empirical attempt verifying the interplay between political change, fleet nationality, and the evolution of shipping networks. On the basis of historical data on ship positions retracted from archival sources, we create GIS-based online maps to conduct a geospatial analysis of the traffic intensity and movement patterns along the regional and inter-regional sea routes that connected the Venetian port system with the Mediterranean ports, with special attention to the Eastern Mediterranean.
Renard Gluzman, Gerassimos Pagratis, "Tracking Venice’s Maritime Traffic in the First Age of Globalization: A Geospatial Analysis," in the proceedings to Reti maritime come fattori dell’integrazione europea, la 50ª Settimana di Studi, Fondazione F. Datini, Prato (13-17 Maggio 2018) (Prato: F. Datini, 2019), pp. 259–277.
Renard Gluzman, "Resurrection of a Sunken Ship: The Salvage of the Venetian Marciliana That Saved Cattaro from Barbarossa," Archivio Veneto, sesta serie, n. 8 (2014), 29–78., Jan 2015
Scuttling a ship to block a port’s entrance was a well known practice in the Mediterranean also d... more Scuttling a ship to block a port’s entrance was a well known practice in the Mediterranean also during the sixteenth century. In times of war, lacking other means of defence, merchant ships were retained in port and later scuttled to create an underwater barricade.
This article recounts the salvage operation of a sunken marciliana in Cattaro (Kottor, Montenegro), following the successful defence of the city against the attack by the Ottoman fleet in 1539. The ship was scuttled by orders of the Venetian governor, Zuan-Matteo Bembo, at the entrance to the estuary to prevent small enemy vessels from approaching the walls. There it lay idle for more than 3 months before being salvaged and repaired. Consequently the ship set sail for its return voyage to Venice.
Based on unpublished archival evidence, and primarily the ship’s records of expenses, this article reconstructs the chain of events that led to the submersion of the ship and discuses the salvage procedures. This rare example of a detailed list of expenses belonging to a coastal vessel is also a unique opportunity to discuss various aspects of ship operation in this period.
Renard Gluzman, "Resurrection of a Sunken Ship: The Salvage of the Venetian Marciliana That Saved Cattaro from Barbarossa," Archivio Veneto, sesta serie, n. 8 (2014), 29–78.
Renard Gluzman, Review: "'Salariato' della nave Girarda-San Nicolò per il viaggio da Venezia alla Sardegna (1594–1595)," Mediterranean Historical Review, Volume 28, Issue 2, 2013, 234–237., Dec 10, 2013
A book review of the newly published ledger of a Venetian merchant ship, the Girarda, on its voya... more A book review of the newly published ledger of a Venetian merchant ship, the Girarda, on its voyage from Venice to Sardinia and back in 1594, edited by Giovanni Pellegrini with an introduction by Stefano Piasentini // Online access to the first 50 colleagues - follow the eprint link bellow.
Renard Gluzman, Review: "'Salariato' della nave Girarda-San Nicolò per il viaggio da Venezia alla Sardegna (1594–1595)," Mediterranean Historical Review, Volume 28, Issue 2, 2013, 234–237.
Renard Gluzman, Vered Pnueli, "Fear, Greed, and The Exclusion of The ‘Local’ in the Formation of a Global Gaming Industry in Israel," Proceedings of the 2022 DiGRA International Conference: Bringing Worlds Together, Kraków (7-11 July 2022)., 2022
The digital games industry is predominantly helmed by giant game companies catering for unified g... more The digital games industry is predominantly helmed by giant game companies catering for unified global themes. Despite the rise of handy tools and online stores that provide more opportunities for independent developers, games contents rarely reflect Israel’s current lifestyle. This paper focuses on the volatile history of Israeli games culture as we explore the specific circumstances that deterred developers from creating games engaged with the local way of life. We observe how endogenous and exogenous factors encourage companies and creators to deliberately strip regional characteristics from their products while adhering to global trends. This tendency is widespread in the commercial and independent games industries. As gaming becomes a dominant media and art form, we urge new actions to promote games inspired by local culture, themes, and aesthetics
Renard Gluzman, Vered Pnueli, "Fear, Greed, and The Exclusion of The ‘Local’ in the Formation of a Global Gaming Industry in Israel," Proceedings of the 2022 DiGRA International Conference: Bringing Worlds Together, Kraków (7-11 July 2022).
Renard Gluzman, Vered Pnueli, "Envisioning a cosmopolitan age for gaming. A case study of speculative future for the Israeli games industry," FDG '22: Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on the Foundations of Digital Games Proceedings, Athens (5-8 September 2022)., 2022
This paper suggests a speculative scenario for the Israeli games industry. In this scenario we li... more This paper suggests a speculative scenario for the Israeli games industry. In this scenario we live in a cosmopolitan age whereby digital games produced in the peripheral countries will attain global acknowledgement by incorporating local attributes first. We propose cosmopolitanism as a strategy for imagining alternative futures for emergent game endeavors around the globe. Cosmopolitanism can be considered as a global identity that transcends cultures and countries and brings together cultural elements from different parts of the world. It is a perspective that emphasizes the search for more inclusive forms of social relations between "global citizens" and a global outlook and openness to difference. By way of example, we chose several nationally acclaimed Israeli games as a case study. This paper will explore an alternative future for these games. By doing so, we hope to open such dialogue and call developers around the globe to adopt a cosmopolitan way of making games.
Renard Gluzman, Vered Pnueli, "Envisioning a cosmopolitan age for gaming. A case study of speculative future for the Israeli games industry," FDG '22: Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on the Foundations of Digital Games Proceedings, Athens (5-8 September 2022).
Hocquet, J. (2023). Renard Gluzman, Venetian Shipping from the Days of Glory to Decline, 1453-157... more Hocquet, J. (2023). Renard Gluzman, Venetian Shipping from the Days of Glory to Decline, 1453-1571, Leyde, Brill, 2021, 547 p. Annales. Histoire, Sciences Sociales, 78(2), 389-391. doi:10.1017/ahss.2023.81
The Mariner's Mirror, Volume 108, 2022 - Issue 4, 2022
Susan Rose (2022). Review of Venetian Shipping: From the days of glory to decline, 1453–1571 by R... more Susan Rose (2022). Review of Venetian Shipping: From the days of glory to decline, 1453–1571 by R. Gluzman, Brill Studies in Maritime History, vol. 10, Leiden, 2021, €120, 547 pages, illustrations, bibliography, ISBN 9789004398160 Pages 480-481 | Published online: 26 Oct 2022.
Renard Gluzman, Venetian Shipping from the Days of Glory to Decline, 1453–1571 (Leiden; Boston: Brill, 2021), 561pp., 2021
https://brill.com/view/title/54752. Drawing from a broad range of hitherto unpublished archival m... more https://brill.com/view/title/54752. Drawing from a broad range of hitherto unpublished archival material and the reconstructed biographies of hundreds of San Marco ships, this book provides a critical overview of the Republic's shipping activities contemporary with the major geographical discoveries of the period, the ascendency of the Ottoman Empire in the Mediterranean, and the ongoing struggle among the major European powers for political and economic hegemony. Within this complex framework, the agency of environmental factors receives equal importance beside geopolitics and economic interests, challenging the accepted hierarchy of the factors impacting the maritime history of Venice. Readership All those interested in the history of the Republic of Venice and its territories in Dalmatia, Greece, and the Levant, and scholars inquiring into early modern maritime and global history.
Users who have access to the e-book via their institutional library can make use of our Mybook option and purchase a paperback copy of the book for 25 EUR/USD. For more information contact me.
Renard Gluzman, Venetian Shipping from the Days of Glory to Decline, 1453–1571 (Leiden; Boston: Brill, 2021), 561pp.
Existing databases of ancient shipwrecks are primarily based on archaeological finds. Conversely,... more Existing databases of ancient shipwrecks are primarily based on archaeological finds. Conversely, this project relies on written evidence contemporary with the wrecks in question. In this way, this endeavour aspires to provide archaeologists with the opportunity to match their finds against the historical data or use this data as leads for possible new discoveries.
The “shipwrecks” project was launched during my doctoral research in 2015, with the support of the Honor Frost Foundation and the Institute of Nautical Archaeology. I have delimited my scope to the period of seventy-six years (1474–1550) covered in my dissertation. In 2016, the chronological timeframe was extended to cover also the years 1551 to 1571 that mark the last years of Venetian hegemony in Cyprus. So far, I have collected 1,271 indications related to more than 300 shipwrecks concerning Eastern Mediterranean. The findings are the result of research conducted in Venice’s archives and libraries, principally in the Archivio di Stato di Venezia and the Museo Civico Correr, complemented from published sources: i.e., chronicles, travel accounts, etc.
The archival research work is now close to meeting completion. In the following months, the findings will be put online using a GIS software. One of the objectives in 2018 is to strengthen the connection points between historical and archaeological finds. This would be achieved by collaborating with institutions of marine archaeology that are mapping and dating wrecks, and teams engaged in the excavations of shipwrecks dated to this period. The collaborative work would allow me to crosscheck the historical evidence with “areas specific surveys” of the sea bottom. This, in turn, may lead to the development of site-specific survey projects, based on the scientific importance of the findings and their supposed location.
Renard Gluzman, Online database: "Early Modern Shipwrecks: Historical Evidence of Shipwrecks in the Eastern Mediterranean, 1453–1571."
Renard Gluzman historian from Tel-Aviv University argues that Mediterranean seafarers did not hav... more Renard Gluzman historian from Tel-Aviv University argues that Mediterranean seafarers did not have any technological or mental barrier that prevented them from sailing the high seas. This, contrary to a view widely diffused among historians such as Fernand Braudel and John Pryor. According to these authorities, sea voyages in the Mediterranean were limited to predetermined coastal routes until the end of the sixteenth century – more than a century after the great oceanic discoveries of Columbus and Da Gama! In 2018, Gluzman decides to put his theory to the test and conduct a sea trial to discover how accurate fifteenth-century navigation instruments really were. Telling his story to his friends, Tiziano Rossetti professional skipper from Tuscany and Chris experienced boat-builder from Hamburg, they offered to help. With only themselves to count on, the three will set sail in June from Venice to Corfu without GPS or nautical charts, using a replica of the navigational instruments that were used by contemporary seafarers in this sea: the portolano (sailing instructions) attributed to Alvise da Ca’ da Mosto (c. 1490), the nautical atlas of Andrea Bianco (1436), traverse board (a memory aid formally used in dead reckoning navigation), the rule of marteloio (a geometrical technique of navigation), a chip log (basic mechanical tool to measure speed), and a compass.
Renard Gluzman, Sailing project: "Between Venice and the Levant: Crossing the Mediterranean with Early-Modern Navigational Instruments" from June 20 to July 1, 2018.
T2 M 20th Annual Conference Padua (Italy), 21-24 September 2022, 2022
Today, the shipping industry is both highly national and highly international. However, up until ... more Today, the shipping industry is both highly national and highly international. However, up until the mid-twentieth century, merchant shipping has been an extension of national commercial life and national power and prestige. No maritime nation with a genuine link between ownership and registration of its ships has ever been able to develop and maintain a national flag fleet without recourse to some protectionism. Such interventions have traditionally taken the form of cargo reservation, flag discrimination, differential port dues, subsidies for shipbuilding and ship-operating, and institutionalized participation in shipping. However, in times of economic downturn, political crisis, plague, famine, and war, the outcry of merchants and ship-operators over-restrictive policies drove them to use trickery, double-dealing, and other deceptions. Within this context, this paper wishes to examine the different schemes used to disguise a vessel's identity in the early modern Mediterranean, half a millennium prior to the invention of the "flag of convenience." Although this concept was officially acknowledged and legally settled only after World War II, this essay argues that the essential need to "flag out" existed for centuries.
In this methodological seminar we wish to adopt broad concepts of environment, climate and nonhum... more In this methodological seminar we wish to adopt broad concepts of environment, climate and nonhuman agency in Mediterranean history. Thus, to rebalance past-present understandings of the choices that might be made now in respect of renewable energy sources and coastal sustainability.
The fluctuation of gross tonnage in Venice's merchant marine was brought on by the confluence of ... more The fluctuation of gross tonnage in Venice's merchant marine was brought on by the confluence of numerous factors working in parallel. The present analysis draws the attention to environmental factors that were largely responsible for the tragic ending of many ships and for a slowdown in shipping in general between 1527 and 1533. It is maintained that the rise in natural disasters acted as a catalyst of change that led to the introduction of the subvention plan and a more thorough reform in shipping in 1534 and 1535. This, in turn, was effective in recovering the Venetian merchant marine from a prolong crisis from 1544 onward. Sure enough, in this particular point in history, weather events played a prominent role in shaping economies. This however does not necessarily points to environmental determinism. On the contrary, through the examination of an individual case, it would be demonstrated that the resilience of those who steered their business through hard times cannot be underestimated.
Dimensioni istituzionali del commonwealth veneziano (secoli XIV-XVII), a cura di Ermanno Orlando et Gherardo Ortalli , 2024
This chapter unveils the geopolitical dimension of maritime security in
Venice and the Stato da ... more This chapter unveils the geopolitical dimension of maritime security in
Venice and the Stato da Mar. Our point of departure is a list of San Marco’s
merchant ships that were wrecked in tragic circumstances between 1480 and
1550. The index suggests that it was normal for the Republic to lose one to three
big ships and numerous smaller vessels per year. Our guiding questions are,
therefore, what were the mechanisms of shipping governance oltremare? How
did strict regulations regarding life and safety at sea permit Venice to preserve
its relative advantage in offering competitive shipping services in the Levant
until the War of Cyprus? Reflecting on risk mitigation strategies, I argue that
‘intra-colonial’ shipping gradually replaced international shipping in the early
sixteenth century.
Naufraghi, catturati o distrutti: la sfida di garantire un’adeguata protezione in mare
nel XVI secolo.
Questo capitolo svela la dimensione geopolitica della sicurezza marittima a
Venezia e nello stato da Mar. Il punto di partenza è un elenco di navi mercantili
di San Marco naufragate in circostanze tragiche tra il 1480 e il 1550. L’indice
suggerisce che per la Repubblica era normale perdere da una a tre grandi navi e
numerose imbarcazioni più piccole all’anno. Le domande che ci poniamo sono
quindi: quali erano i meccanismi di governo della navigazione oltremare? In che
modo le rigide norme in materia di vita e sicurezza in mare permisero a Venezia di
conservare il suo vantaggio relativo nell’offrire servizi di navigazione competitivi
nel Levante fino alla Guerra di Cipro? Riflettendo sulle strategie di mitigazione del
rischio, ritengo che la navigazione ‘intra-coloniale’ abbia sostituito gradualmente
quella internazionale all’inizio del XVI secolo.
Renard Gluzman, "Wrecked, captured or destroyed: The challenge to ensure adequate protection at sea in the sixteenth century," in Dimensioni istituzionali del Commonwealth veneziano (secoli XIV-XVII), eds. Ermanno Orlando et al. (Venice: IVSLA, 2023)., 2022
Presented in Dimensioni istituzionali del Commonwealth veneziano (secoli XIV-XVII) 13-14-15-16 settembre 2022 Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti
Our point of departure is a list of subordinate and Venetian merchant ships lost in tragic circumstances over a seventy-year period (1480–1550). The index suggests that the merchant marine of San Marco "expected" to lose a quota of one to three large ships, and numerous smaller vessels per year. In this paper we will explore what means were taken to ensure safety and security at sea. Mainly, what were the mechanisms of shipping governance oltremare? And their importance from a geo-strategic and commercial viewpoint.
Although it is widely accepted the round ships constituted the bulk of the Venetian merchant flee... more Although it is widely accepted the round ships constituted the bulk of the Venetian merchant fleet in any period, and despite the fact that during the Sixteenth century the spectrum of activity of Venetian round ships was further extended and restrictions on their movements were loosened, most of the studies on Venice's merchant fleet still concern merchants galleys.
The life expectancy of Mediterranean large wooden vessels in the Sixteenth century was about 10 years, or up to 13 for those that ‘with the help of God or human merit managed to avoid all dangers’, to quote Jean-Claude Hocquet. During this period, a ship had many different life forms; occasionally it changed cargo, seas, captain and crew. In certain circumstances it changed hands, flags, parts of its structure, and even its function and means of funding.
Based on new archival evidence, this paper will attempt to reconstruct the ‘biography’ of a few large round ships, from the moment one was launched until it was declared unseaworthy, against the background of political changes, military conflicts and economic turmoil at that time.
Following the life-cycle of a ship is similar in many respects to writing about the life of a person. In writing the narrative of an object, one must take into consideration the assembly of things that affected it. Hence, the topic of this paper can be regarded as referring to the various elements that shaped the ‘biography’ of Venetian private ships in Renaissance times.
This workshop will investigate the perceptions, modes and techniques of Venetian rule in the Sere... more This workshop will investigate the perceptions, modes and techniques of Venetian rule in the Serenissima’s overseas territories in the eastern Mediterranean. Special attention will be paid to the ways in which Venice managed the claims and traditions of different empires (Byzantine, Roman, Mamluk, Ottoman) while developing its own claims of authority. In addition, we will consider the role played by the physical environment in empire-building and by the ensuing problems of connectivity. Bringing together specialists of both theoretical constructs and in the practical application of Venetian rule, the workshop will provide new perspectives on the Venetian overseas possessions in the early modern period. It will facilitate a holistic appreciation of Venetian rule in particular and of the modes of rule in the space where early statehood and empire intersect in general.
Uploads
----Jean-Claude Hocquet, in: Annales. Histoire, Sciences Sociales (June 2023) 78(2): pp. 389 - 391
“[…] an essential tool for all those interested in Venice and the major source of her influence and her prosperity, her ships of all kinds.”
----Susan Rose, in: The Mariner's Mirror (2022) 108(4): pp.480-481
Abstract: Drawing from a broad range of hitherto unpublished archival material and the reconstructed biographies of hundreds of San Marco ships, this book provides a critical overview of the Republic’s shipping activities contemporary with the major geographical discoveries of the period, the ascendency of the Ottoman Empire in the Mediterranean, and the on-going struggle among the major European powers for political and economic hegemony. Within this complex framework, the agency of environmental factors receives equal importance beside geopolitics and economic interests, challenging the accepted hierarchy of the factors impacting the maritime history of Venice.
Renard Gluzman, "What Makes a Ship Venetian? (13th–16th centuries)," in Cultures of empire: Rethinking Venetian rule, 1400–1700: Essays in honour of Benjamin Arbel, edited by Georg Christ, Franz-Julius Morche (Leiden; Boston: Brill, 2020), pp. 293–328.
Renard Gluzman, "Ship biographies as a form of microhistory," in Venezia e il senso del mare. Percezioni e rappresentazioni, eds. Maurice Aymard, Ermanno Orlando (Venice: Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti, VSLA, 2022), pp. 93-110.
The study was undertaken for the MA dissertation at Tel Aviv University's Department of History under the supervision of Prof. Benjamin Arbel, and accepted by Prof. David Jacoby.
Online access follow the link below. If you are having hard time finding it, please write me.
Renard Gluzman, "Between Venice and the Levant: Re-evaluating Maritime Routes from the Fourteenth to the Sixteenth Century," The Mariner's Mirror, v. 96, n. 3 (August 2010), 262–292.
Renard Gluzman, "To See Venice in a Grain of Sand. An Experiment in Writing a Microhistory of Waterway Erosion Instigated By a Shipwreck, 1607–1622," Convivium X/1, April 2023 thematic issue: The Architecture of Medieval Port Cities: Italy and the Mediterranean, Edited by Sarah K. Kozlowski, pp. 87-99.
Renard Gluzman, "Notes on Venice’s Ship-Breaking Industry and the Scrap Market in the Sixteenth-Century," The Journal of European Economic History, no. 2, September 2018, pp. 83–95.
Renard Gluzman, Gerassimos Pagratis, "Tracking Venice’s Maritime Traffic in the First Age of Globalization: A Geospatial Analysis," in the proceedings to Reti maritime come fattori dell’integrazione europea, la 50ª Settimana di Studi, Fondazione F. Datini, Prato (13-17 Maggio 2018) (Prato: F. Datini, 2019), pp. 259–277.
This article recounts the salvage operation of a sunken marciliana in Cattaro (Kottor, Montenegro), following the successful defence of the city against the attack by the Ottoman fleet in 1539. The ship was scuttled by orders of the Venetian governor, Zuan-Matteo Bembo, at the entrance to the estuary to prevent small enemy vessels from approaching the walls. There it lay idle for more than 3 months before being salvaged and repaired. Consequently the ship set sail for its return voyage to Venice.
Based on unpublished archival evidence, and primarily the ship’s records of expenses, this article reconstructs the chain of events that led to the submersion of the ship and discuses the salvage procedures. This rare example of a detailed list of expenses belonging to a coastal vessel is also a unique opportunity to discuss various aspects of ship operation in this period.
Renard Gluzman, "Resurrection of a Sunken Ship: The Salvage of the Venetian Marciliana That Saved Cattaro from Barbarossa," Archivio Veneto, sesta serie, n. 8 (2014), 29–78.
Renard Gluzman, Review: "'Salariato' della nave Girarda-San Nicolò per il viaggio da Venezia alla Sardegna (1594–1595)," Mediterranean Historical Review, Volume 28, Issue 2, 2013, 234–237.
http://www.digra.org/digital-library/publications/fear-greed-and-the-exclusion-of-the-local-in-the-formation-of-a-global-gaming-industry-in-israel/
Renard Gluzman, Vered Pnueli, "Fear, Greed, and The Exclusion of The ‘Local’ in the Formation of a Global Gaming Industry in Israel," Proceedings of the 2022 DiGRA International Conference: Bringing Worlds Together, Kraków (7-11 July 2022).
Renard Gluzman, Vered Pnueli, "Envisioning a cosmopolitan age for gaming. A case study of speculative future for the Israeli games industry," FDG '22: Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on the Foundations of Digital Games Proceedings, Athens (5-8 September 2022).
Users who have access to the e-book via their institutional library can make use of our Mybook option and purchase a paperback copy of the book for 25 EUR/USD. For more information contact me.
Renard Gluzman, Venetian Shipping from the Days of Glory to Decline, 1453–1571 (Leiden; Boston: Brill, 2021), 561pp.
The “shipwrecks” project was launched during my doctoral research in 2015, with the support of the Honor Frost Foundation and the Institute of Nautical Archaeology. I have delimited my scope to the period of seventy-six years (1474–1550) covered in my dissertation. In 2016, the chronological timeframe was extended to cover also the years 1551 to 1571 that mark the last years of Venetian hegemony in Cyprus. So far, I have collected 1,271 indications related to more than 300 shipwrecks concerning Eastern Mediterranean. The findings are the result of research conducted in Venice’s archives and libraries, principally in the Archivio di Stato di Venezia and the Museo Civico Correr, complemented from published sources: i.e., chronicles, travel accounts, etc.
The archival research work is now close to meeting completion. In the following months, the findings will be put online using a GIS software. One of the objectives in 2018 is to strengthen the connection points between historical and archaeological finds. This would be achieved by collaborating with institutions of marine archaeology that are mapping and dating wrecks, and teams engaged in the excavations of shipwrecks dated to this period. The collaborative work would allow me to crosscheck the historical evidence with “areas specific surveys” of the sea bottom. This, in turn, may lead to the development of site-specific survey projects, based on the scientific importance of the findings and their supposed location.
Renard Gluzman, Online database: "Early Modern Shipwrecks: Historical Evidence of Shipwrecks in the Eastern Mediterranean, 1453–1571."
Renard Gluzman, Sailing project: "Between Venice and the Levant: Crossing the Mediterranean with Early-Modern Navigational Instruments" from June 20 to July 1, 2018.
Within this context, this paper wishes to examine the different schemes used to disguise a vessel's identity in the early modern Mediterranean, half a millennium prior to the invention of the "flag of convenience." Although this concept was officially acknowledged and legally settled only after World War II, this essay argues that the essential need to "flag out" existed for centuries.
----Jean-Claude Hocquet, in: Annales. Histoire, Sciences Sociales (June 2023) 78(2): pp. 389 - 391
“[…] an essential tool for all those interested in Venice and the major source of her influence and her prosperity, her ships of all kinds.”
----Susan Rose, in: The Mariner's Mirror (2022) 108(4): pp.480-481
Abstract: Drawing from a broad range of hitherto unpublished archival material and the reconstructed biographies of hundreds of San Marco ships, this book provides a critical overview of the Republic’s shipping activities contemporary with the major geographical discoveries of the period, the ascendency of the Ottoman Empire in the Mediterranean, and the on-going struggle among the major European powers for political and economic hegemony. Within this complex framework, the agency of environmental factors receives equal importance beside geopolitics and economic interests, challenging the accepted hierarchy of the factors impacting the maritime history of Venice.
Renard Gluzman, "What Makes a Ship Venetian? (13th–16th centuries)," in Cultures of empire: Rethinking Venetian rule, 1400–1700: Essays in honour of Benjamin Arbel, edited by Georg Christ, Franz-Julius Morche (Leiden; Boston: Brill, 2020), pp. 293–328.
Renard Gluzman, "Ship biographies as a form of microhistory," in Venezia e il senso del mare. Percezioni e rappresentazioni, eds. Maurice Aymard, Ermanno Orlando (Venice: Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti, VSLA, 2022), pp. 93-110.
The study was undertaken for the MA dissertation at Tel Aviv University's Department of History under the supervision of Prof. Benjamin Arbel, and accepted by Prof. David Jacoby.
Online access follow the link below. If you are having hard time finding it, please write me.
Renard Gluzman, "Between Venice and the Levant: Re-evaluating Maritime Routes from the Fourteenth to the Sixteenth Century," The Mariner's Mirror, v. 96, n. 3 (August 2010), 262–292.
Renard Gluzman, "To See Venice in a Grain of Sand. An Experiment in Writing a Microhistory of Waterway Erosion Instigated By a Shipwreck, 1607–1622," Convivium X/1, April 2023 thematic issue: The Architecture of Medieval Port Cities: Italy and the Mediterranean, Edited by Sarah K. Kozlowski, pp. 87-99.
Renard Gluzman, "Notes on Venice’s Ship-Breaking Industry and the Scrap Market in the Sixteenth-Century," The Journal of European Economic History, no. 2, September 2018, pp. 83–95.
Renard Gluzman, Gerassimos Pagratis, "Tracking Venice’s Maritime Traffic in the First Age of Globalization: A Geospatial Analysis," in the proceedings to Reti maritime come fattori dell’integrazione europea, la 50ª Settimana di Studi, Fondazione F. Datini, Prato (13-17 Maggio 2018) (Prato: F. Datini, 2019), pp. 259–277.
This article recounts the salvage operation of a sunken marciliana in Cattaro (Kottor, Montenegro), following the successful defence of the city against the attack by the Ottoman fleet in 1539. The ship was scuttled by orders of the Venetian governor, Zuan-Matteo Bembo, at the entrance to the estuary to prevent small enemy vessels from approaching the walls. There it lay idle for more than 3 months before being salvaged and repaired. Consequently the ship set sail for its return voyage to Venice.
Based on unpublished archival evidence, and primarily the ship’s records of expenses, this article reconstructs the chain of events that led to the submersion of the ship and discuses the salvage procedures. This rare example of a detailed list of expenses belonging to a coastal vessel is also a unique opportunity to discuss various aspects of ship operation in this period.
Renard Gluzman, "Resurrection of a Sunken Ship: The Salvage of the Venetian Marciliana That Saved Cattaro from Barbarossa," Archivio Veneto, sesta serie, n. 8 (2014), 29–78.
Renard Gluzman, Review: "'Salariato' della nave Girarda-San Nicolò per il viaggio da Venezia alla Sardegna (1594–1595)," Mediterranean Historical Review, Volume 28, Issue 2, 2013, 234–237.
http://www.digra.org/digital-library/publications/fear-greed-and-the-exclusion-of-the-local-in-the-formation-of-a-global-gaming-industry-in-israel/
Renard Gluzman, Vered Pnueli, "Fear, Greed, and The Exclusion of The ‘Local’ in the Formation of a Global Gaming Industry in Israel," Proceedings of the 2022 DiGRA International Conference: Bringing Worlds Together, Kraków (7-11 July 2022).
Renard Gluzman, Vered Pnueli, "Envisioning a cosmopolitan age for gaming. A case study of speculative future for the Israeli games industry," FDG '22: Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on the Foundations of Digital Games Proceedings, Athens (5-8 September 2022).
Users who have access to the e-book via their institutional library can make use of our Mybook option and purchase a paperback copy of the book for 25 EUR/USD. For more information contact me.
Renard Gluzman, Venetian Shipping from the Days of Glory to Decline, 1453–1571 (Leiden; Boston: Brill, 2021), 561pp.
The “shipwrecks” project was launched during my doctoral research in 2015, with the support of the Honor Frost Foundation and the Institute of Nautical Archaeology. I have delimited my scope to the period of seventy-six years (1474–1550) covered in my dissertation. In 2016, the chronological timeframe was extended to cover also the years 1551 to 1571 that mark the last years of Venetian hegemony in Cyprus. So far, I have collected 1,271 indications related to more than 300 shipwrecks concerning Eastern Mediterranean. The findings are the result of research conducted in Venice’s archives and libraries, principally in the Archivio di Stato di Venezia and the Museo Civico Correr, complemented from published sources: i.e., chronicles, travel accounts, etc.
The archival research work is now close to meeting completion. In the following months, the findings will be put online using a GIS software. One of the objectives in 2018 is to strengthen the connection points between historical and archaeological finds. This would be achieved by collaborating with institutions of marine archaeology that are mapping and dating wrecks, and teams engaged in the excavations of shipwrecks dated to this period. The collaborative work would allow me to crosscheck the historical evidence with “areas specific surveys” of the sea bottom. This, in turn, may lead to the development of site-specific survey projects, based on the scientific importance of the findings and their supposed location.
Renard Gluzman, Online database: "Early Modern Shipwrecks: Historical Evidence of Shipwrecks in the Eastern Mediterranean, 1453–1571."
Renard Gluzman, Sailing project: "Between Venice and the Levant: Crossing the Mediterranean with Early-Modern Navigational Instruments" from June 20 to July 1, 2018.
Within this context, this paper wishes to examine the different schemes used to disguise a vessel's identity in the early modern Mediterranean, half a millennium prior to the invention of the "flag of convenience." Although this concept was officially acknowledged and legally settled only after World War II, this essay argues that the essential need to "flag out" existed for centuries.
Venice and the Stato da Mar. Our point of departure is a list of San Marco’s
merchant ships that were wrecked in tragic circumstances between 1480 and
1550. The index suggests that it was normal for the Republic to lose one to three
big ships and numerous smaller vessels per year. Our guiding questions are,
therefore, what were the mechanisms of shipping governance oltremare? How
did strict regulations regarding life and safety at sea permit Venice to preserve
its relative advantage in offering competitive shipping services in the Levant
until the War of Cyprus? Reflecting on risk mitigation strategies, I argue that
‘intra-colonial’ shipping gradually replaced international shipping in the early
sixteenth century.
Naufraghi, catturati o distrutti: la sfida di garantire un’adeguata protezione in mare
nel XVI secolo.
Questo capitolo svela la dimensione geopolitica della sicurezza marittima a
Venezia e nello stato da Mar. Il punto di partenza è un elenco di navi mercantili
di San Marco naufragate in circostanze tragiche tra il 1480 e il 1550. L’indice
suggerisce che per la Repubblica era normale perdere da una a tre grandi navi e
numerose imbarcazioni più piccole all’anno. Le domande che ci poniamo sono
quindi: quali erano i meccanismi di governo della navigazione oltremare? In che
modo le rigide norme in materia di vita e sicurezza in mare permisero a Venezia di
conservare il suo vantaggio relativo nell’offrire servizi di navigazione competitivi
nel Levante fino alla Guerra di Cipro? Riflettendo sulle strategie di mitigazione del
rischio, ritengo che la navigazione ‘intra-coloniale’ abbia sostituito gradualmente
quella internazionale all’inizio del XVI secolo.
Presented in Dimensioni istituzionali del Commonwealth veneziano (secoli XIV-XVII) 13-14-15-16 settembre 2022 Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti
Our point of departure is a list of subordinate and Venetian merchant ships lost in tragic circumstances over a seventy-year period (1480–1550). The index suggests that the merchant marine of San Marco "expected" to lose a quota of one to three large ships, and numerous smaller vessels per year. In this paper we will explore what means were taken to ensure safety and security at sea. Mainly, what were the mechanisms of shipping governance oltremare? And their importance from a geo-strategic and commercial viewpoint.
The life expectancy of Mediterranean large wooden vessels in the Sixteenth century was about 10 years, or up to 13 for those that ‘with the help of God or human merit managed to avoid all dangers’, to quote Jean-Claude Hocquet. During this period, a ship had many different life forms; occasionally it changed cargo, seas, captain and crew. In certain circumstances it changed hands, flags, parts of its structure, and even its function and means of funding.
Based on new archival evidence, this paper will attempt to reconstruct the ‘biography’ of a few large round ships, from the moment one was launched until it was declared unseaworthy, against the background of political changes, military conflicts and economic turmoil at that time.
Following the life-cycle of a ship is similar in many respects to writing about the life of a person. In writing the narrative of an object, one must take into consideration the assembly of things that affected it. Hence, the topic of this paper can be regarded as referring to the various elements that shaped the ‘biography’ of Venetian private ships in Renaissance times.