Maritime Ethnography

The hūrī (pl. hawārī) is a traditional logboat, carved from a single tree into a double-ended vessel which can be propelled by either sail or paddle. Hūrīs are found throughout the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea, yet little about this ubiquitous vessel is known. This paper builds on previous research undertaken on hūrīs on the island of Socotra, Yemen, and looks at how these vessels can help in understanding the traditional and cultural changes hūrīs have brought to Socotra.

Egypt’s extensive coastlines along the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, which form almost half of the country’s borders, together with the internal water bodies, namely the River Nile and the lakes, played a significant role in shaping the country’s culture through the ages. The Nile, however, was the most significant factor in the development of the country's civilisation. It served as a dominant artery of life and the country's main highway for millennia; thus, shaping maritime transport in Egypt, and sailing traditions on the river have their roots back in the ancient history of the country. In the 19th century, European travelers were intrigued by the beauty of Nile boats, the thing that made them write about their travels on the Nile. A large number of accounts and descriptions of Nile boats, along with a large number of photographs was made. However, nothing has been done to categorize and identify these boats, hence, there’s a need for research, to try to categorize different boat typologies in the 19th and 20th centuries, and try to trace the Maritime Sailing Traditions through the ages until modern time.

Maritime cultural heritage transcends the aquatic realm and includes both tangible and intangible elements. Maritime crafts and professions indicate this convergence, allowing one to consider them as part of the Intangible Maritime Cultural Heritage (IMCH). The fluctuations in local economy over the years, combined with industrial and building development of coastal towns have imposed tremendous stress on the survival of these practitioners in Cyprus, who are dying out. The Intangible Maritime Cultural Heritage Project functions as both a Cultural Heritage research and preservation effort, the latter through educational programmes aiming to develop the maritime consciousness of the public.

In pre-industrial societies, craftsmen possessed the necessary professional ability and experience to handle manual labour. This accumulated knowledge from years of learning and practicing their craft, is reflected in vernacular shipbuilding. It is ever-evolving and thus does not present a uniform development, as periods of prosperity interchange with decline and affect it. Cyprus had a long shipbuilding tradition, serving the needs of a self-sufficient economy from the 18th century onwards.

The carnayo, Limassol’s shipbuilding installations, has existed since the 19th century. The urban waterfront development led to the construction of the old and new port, resulting in urban expansion and the carnayo relocation twice. Its existence has undeniably influenced the maritime landscape and the locals’ contact with the sea.

Vernacular shipbuilding presents a convergence of Intangible and Maritime Cultural Heritage (IMCH). Maintaining the carnayo preserves exactly that; the area, people, and oral testimonies, constitute an integral part of Limassol’s history. Despite the difficulties, revitalising the area is possible. The reuse of industrial buildings as a museum can emphasise the historical value and continuity, preserving the craft through shipbuilding tools, the boats and archival photos. Ultimately, achieving accessibility to IMCH results in its appreciation and future protection.

The Nile was considered to be the highway for trade and population movements since the early days of Egyptian civilisation. During the riverine transportations history of Egypt, a large number of boat types have been used. From the early depictions of sailboats, Egyptian boat have gone through a massive reconfigurations that changed its shape, building materials, and rigging techniques.
This paper will focus on the final huddle of cargo boats on the Nile. The presentation is part of an HFF funded studentship at the University of Southampton focusing on the boatbuilding traditions from the late 18th century up to modern day Egypt.
It will aim at presenting the early development of the different types of boats, and will trace the evolution of its hull shape, hull material, and rigging techniques during the past 200 years, through the examination and study of photographic evidences and Euro-American writings during the period of the study.
The researcher will present different resources of information, different methodologies, and the future of the research.
The paper will also investigate the surrounding social, economic and environmental aspects that affected the evolution of these boats, and theories about the extinction of wooden sailboats on the Nile.

The Mediterranean is a place crossed by many stories and life experiences. In this regard, this
study proposes the analysis of port cities as social spaces marked by the constant flow of
people, objects, ideas and meanings. The continuous contact with specific issues such as
immigration, safety and security of travelers, economic development and identity crisis of sea
communities makes port cities a kind of social laboratory where is possible analyze theories,
methodologies and reflections on the contemporary Mediterranean. Maritime cities share the
same fate as their ports, and are still able to communicate the voices, the memories and the
knowledge of the Mediterranean to stimulate and increase the thoughts and socio-political
theories of this great arena of discussion and meeting.

This study presents the findings of a field trip conducted in 1998 to South-East Oman. The paper firstly looks into the writings of Medieval and Early Modern travellers who visited Qalhat and from their accounts study the types of vessels that were mentioned in connection with the Arabian-Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean; secondly, to find from the local sailors the types and functions of dhows and what anchors were used for in the recent past. An attempt is made in the present study to reconstruct from the early writings the sea activity and its impact during the time period in question and to establish how much of the information given by the locals of South-East Oman can be corroborated by the findings related to the past.

This thesis looks at the use of wood in boatbuilding in the Red Sea from classical antiquity until present times. It draws on primary sources and archaeological evidence from the Graeco-Roman period extending from the 8th century BC to the eve of Islam in the 7th century AD, and from the medieval Islamic period stretching from the 7th century AD to the 15th century AD. In doing so, it seeks to shed the light on timber trade and the timber exploitation processes; and examine how these were interlinked with the geopolitics and socio-economics of the time. It then portrays the Red Sea areas not only as wood importers from a wide array of regions such as the Mediterranean, East Africa, and South Asia, but also as beneficiaries of local wood resources for their boatbuilding needs. In that respect, it stresses that little attention has been given to the exploitation of local woods in favour of a greater reliance on Indian timber, and more specifically on teak. Thus, it suggests the need to consider other timber species than teak which were equally suitable for shipwrightry, as well as other western Indian Ocean wood providers. To illuminate and colour past interpretations of the subject, in addition to document a vanishing craftsmanship, this thesis has drawn on ethnographic research in Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. The ethnographic enquiry focused on the types of timber used in boatbuilding in the Red Sea and their vernacular names, the timber exploitation processes, and the factors and variables that come play in the metamorphosis of a tree into a boat part. Finally, by interlinking diverse pathways of enquiry drawing on primary sources, archaeology and ethnography, this thesis aims to provide the field of maritime culture and maritime archaeology a deeper understanding of wooden boatbuilding in the Red Sea

The article contains a review of the creations of belles-lettres where the titular issue is found. In the first part there are presented epic pieces, and in the second – poetry pieces. In both parts, the material is ordered by authors, taking into account the meaning and value of their achievements. The whole text is ending with a short summary, containing reflections on the topic of the image of traditional fishing in Western Pomerania after 1945, presented in Polish belles-lettres.

Wrak Szczecin Zdroje 1 (SZD1), spoczywający w Regalicy, od lat budził zainteresowanie badaczy podwodnego dziedzictwa archeologicznego. Podjęte w latach 2010-2019 prospekcje przy użyciu sonarów (stacjonarnego i bocznego) oraz echosondy interferometrycznej nie pozwalały bowiem zidentyfikować typu zatopionego statku, ani dokładnie rozpoznać jego detali widocznych na zobrazowaniach. Autorzy we wrześniu 2019 roku ponownie przebadali wrak, wykorzystując jednak inne urządzenie hydrolokacyjne – podwodną kamerę akustyczną ARIS, umożliwiającą rejestrację przestrzeni podwodnej w sposób analogiczny do kamery optycznej, ale nie wymagającą naturalnego ani sztucznego oświetlenia. Badania wykonano z pokładu statku szkoleniowo-badawczego „Echo 2”, którego armatorem jest spółka ESCORT. Na podstawie ich wyników nie tylko zidentyfikowano typ zatopionego statku, dokładnie rozpoznano jego detale konstrukcyjne i ogólny stan zachowania, lecz także sformułowano hipotezę dotyczącą przyczyn zatonięcia jednostki.

[In Greek, title: Delving into Cypriot vernacular shipbuilding
through Fine and Visual Arts: methodological approaches and questions]

Abstract: Shipbuilding is a key element when one addresses the relationship between coastal communities and the sea, and the activities included in Crister Westerdahl’s Maritime Cultural Landscape (MCL). Vernacular shipbuilding combines elements from both Intangible and Maritime Cultural Heritage: knowledge is transmitted from one generation to another, thus opening a window in time via collective memory and oral history. It further displays the unbreakable bond between knowledge and craft, as well as their fragile nature. Cypriot vernacular shipbuilding had remained a terra incognita until 2016. The present author systematically recorded this craft between 2016-2020, compiling unpublished primary data which allowed its partial appraisal and the reconstruction of the 19th-20th century historical context pertaining to its evolution. The current paper presents the material belonging to Fine and Visual Arts (artworks, photos and videos from archives and private collections), and the analysis approach followed to fully contextualise it by combining written and oral historical sources. The aim is to use all available data and document Cypriot vernacular shipbuilding to the greatest possible extent, as to clarify its role in the MCL of Cyprus as well as the development of Cypriot shipping.

The present paper summarises the question of the use of wood in boatbuilding in the Red Sea from classical antiquity until present times. It draws on primary sources and archaeological evidence from the Greco-Roman era and the mediaeval Islamic period. In doing so, the paper sheds the light on timber trade and exploitation processes of the past, and how these interlinked with the geopolitics and socio-economics of the time. The Red Sea regions are portrayed not only as wood importers from the Mediterranean, East Africa and South Asia but also as beneficiaries of local wood resources for their boatbuilding needs. Similarly, the paper stresses that little attention has been given to the exploitation of local wood in favour of Indian timber, especially teak. Thus it suggests the need to consider other timber species that were equally suitable for boatbuilding, as well as other western Indian Ocean wood providers.
This study also draws on ethnographic research in Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. The ethnographic enquiry focused on vernacular names of timbers, timber exploitation processes and the variables involved in the metamorphosis of a tree into a boat part. Finally, by interlinking diverse pathways of enquiry – i.e., by drawing on primary sources, archaeology and ethnography – the paper aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of wooden boatbuilding in the Red Sea.

Bieżący rok jest rokiem jubileuszowym nie tylko dla Uniwersytetu Szczecińskiego – swoje dwudziestolecie obchodzi również flisacki spływ Odrą, który co roku tradycyjnie kończy się w Szczecinie. Flis Odrzański zajmuje ważną pozycję w kalendarzu wydarzeń Nadodrza, podkreślając znaczenie rzeki w życiu lokalnych społeczności. Jego wieloaspektowa, kulturowa i społeczna rola, ewoluująca na przestrzeni dwóch dekad, skłania do refleksji – także naukowej.

Wiele osób ze zdziwieniem i niedowierzaniem przyjmuje wiadomość, że Uniwersytet Szczeciński posiada Pływającą Stację Badawczą. Czyżby nasza uczelnia została armatorem statku na miarę „Nawigatora XXI”, jakim szczyci się Akademia Morska w Szczecinie? Nic podobnego – Pływająca Stacja Badawcza US to nazwa organizacji studenckiej działającej na Wydziale Humanistycznym.

With the right methods, studying the ancient world can be as engaging as it is informative. Many K-12 teachers, university instructors, and museum educators use hands-on, project-based, and experiential activities in their classes to increase student engagement and learning. This book aims to bring together such pedagogical methods and teaching activities about the ancient world for any educator to use. The teaching activities in this book are designed in a cookbook format so that educators can replicate these teaching "recipes” (which include materials, budget, preparation time, levels of students) in their ancient art, archaeology, social studies, and history classes. They can be implemented online or in-person, in schools, universities, libraries, museums, or at home.

This thesis looks at the use of wood in boatbuilding in the Red Sea from classical antiquity until present times. It draws on primary sources and archaeological evidence from the Graeco-Roman period extending from the 8th century BC to the eve of Islam in the 7th century AD, and from the medieval Islamic period stretching from the 7th century AD to the 15th century AD. In doing so, it seeks to shed the light on timber trade and the timber exploitation processes; and examine how these were interlinked with the geopolitics and socio-economics of the time. It then portrays the Red Sea areas not only as wood importers from a wide array of regions such as the Mediterranean, East Africa, and South Asia, but also as beneficiaries of local wood resources for their boatbuilding needs. In that respect, it stresses that little attention has been given to the exploitation of local woods in favour of a greater reliance on Indian timber, and more specifically on teak. Thus, it suggests the need to consider other timber species than teak which were equally suitable for shipwrightry, as well as other western Indian Ocean wood providers. To illuminate and colour past interpretations of the subject, in addition to document a vanishing craftsmanship, this thesis has drawn on ethnographic research in Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. The ethnographic enquiry focused on the types of timber used in boatbuilding in the Red Sea and their vernacular names, the timber exploitation processes, and the factors and variables that come play in the metamorphosis of a tree into a boat part. Finally, by interlinking diverse pathways of enquiry drawing on primary sources, archaeology and ethnography, this thesis aims to provide the field of maritime culture and maritime archaeology a deeper understanding of wooden boatbuilding in the Red Sea

The present paper summarizes the question of the use of wood in boatbuilding in Saudi Arabia from classical  antiquity until present times. It draws on primary sources and archaeological evidence from the Graeco-Roman period and the medieval Islamic period. In doing so, it sheds the light on the timber trade and the timber exploitation processes in the past; and how these were interlinked with the geopolitics and socio-economics of the time. Not only did Saudi Arabia import wood from the Mediterranean, East Africa, and South Asia; but it also benefited  from its local wood resources for boatbuilding.

This paper stresses that little attention has been given to the exploitation of local woods in favour of a greater reliance on Indian timber, especially teak. Thus, it suggests the need to consider other timber species which were equally suitable for shipwrightry, as well as other western Indian Ocean wood providers.

This study has also drawn on ethnographic research in Jizan and the Farasan Archipelago in Saudi Arabia. The ethnographic enquiry focused on vernacular names of timbers, the timber exploitation processes, and the variables that come at play in the metamorphosis of a tree into a boat part. Finally, by interlinking diverse pathways of enquiry drawing on primary sources, archaeology and ethnography, this paper aims to contribute to the field of maritime culture and maritime archaeology a deeper understanding of wooden boatbuilding in the Red Sea.

The present paper summarises the question of the use of wood in boatbuilding in the Red Sea from classical antiquity until present times. It draws on primary sources and archaeological evidence from the Greco-Roman era and the mediaeval Islamic period. In doing so, the paper sheds the light on timber trade and exploitation processes of the past, and how these interlinked with the geopolitics and socio-economics of the time. The Red Sea regions are portrayed not only as wood importers from the Mediterranean, East Africa and South Asia but also as beneficiaries of local wood resources for their boatbuilding needs. Similarly, the paper stresses that little attention has been given to the exploitation of local wood in favour of Indian timber, especially teak. Thus it suggests the need to consider other timber species that were equally suitable for boatbuilding, as well as other western Indian Ocean wood providers. This study also draws on ethnographic research in Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. The ethnographic enquiry focused on vernacular names of timbers, timber exploitation processes and the variables involved in the metamorphosis of a tree into a boat part. Finally, by interlinking diverse pathways of enquiry – i.e., by drawing on primary sources, archaeology and ethnography – the paper aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of wooden boatbuilding in the Red Sea.

This thesis focuses on the traditional logboats of Coquí, an Afro-descendant community in the Pacific coast of Chocó, Colombia. It considers these boats as an entry point into the life of the community and explores the technological and functional aspects of the watercraft, their wider context, and related social practices. Based on a transdisciplinary approach, it draws on an ethnographic methodology to look at the question of whether and how the boats inform on the life of the community, their history, their identity and their maritime concerns. This thesis reflects upon the multiple ways in which people in Coquí relate to their boats and the many levels at which these boats operate. It demonstrates that the watercraft of the community of Coquí is significantly complex and holds a fundamental importance to their existence. The present study addresses the need of a comprehensive in-depth look at traditional boats in which the relationships between people and boats are as relevant as the pure technological and functional interests, dominant in the field of boat studies and maritime archaeology. It shows that ethnography is an effective methodology to unveil the richness of the materiality of social life, and the diversity of human engagements with the world.

Restoration of a wooden ship recognized as historical maritime treasure by the Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage.
This film is an experiment in autobiographical ethnography in which the shipwhright is also the filmmaker, at the same time director and directed, both silent artisan and self-aware documentarist: a combination of aesthetics and ethnography which attempts to bring out an inner dimension that may only with difficulty, if it all, be rendered with propositional prose.