GREEK AND ROMAN STUDIES 377 (Fall Term, 2002/3):

SHIPS AND SEAMANSHIP IN THE ANCIENT WORLD

     This course is intended as an introduction to the nautical technology and maritime history and archaeology of the Bronze Age Near Eastern, Greek, Etruscan, and Roman cultures. We will make use of the evidence provided by the archaeological remains of ancient ships and harbours, along with ancient visual representations and texts and modern ethnographic parallels. Topics will include ship and harbour design and construction, materials, equipment, personnel, sailing and navigation techniques, and the techniques and results of underwater archaeology. There are no prerequisites for the course, but GRS 371, 372, or 376 are useful and recommended.

    The goal of the course is to familiarize you with the major accomplishments of maritime technology among the ancient Mediterranean cultures, and with the effect of natural resources and the environment, cultural values, and trade relationships on the evolution of this technology over time. You will be expected to be learn how to evaluate written and material evidence for the cultures and technologies involved.

Instructor:

Prof. John P. Oleson. Clearihue B423. Tel. 721-8519.

E-mail: jpoleson@uvic.ca. Web page: http://web.uvic.ca/~jpoleson.

Office hours: Monday 2:30-3:20, Wednesday 11:30-12:20, or by appointment.

Schedule:

Monday and Thursday at 10:00-11:15 a.m. in Clearihue A301.

Texts:

J.P. Oleson, Coursepack for GRS 377 (available in the bookstore).

Lionel Casson, The Ancient Mariners. 2nd ed. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1991.

Lionel Casson, Ships and Seamanship in the Ancient World. Rev ed. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1995.

Requirements:

(1) Mid-term examination (October 10, 25% of term grade).

(2) Research paper (2,500-3,000 words. Due 28 November. 40% of term grade).

(3) Final examination (35% of term grade).

Examinations will consist of slide identification and comparison, short answer questions, and an essay. I will not accommodate students who book travel home before the final examination schedule has been released and subsequently find their travel dates in conflict with the examination.

Grading System:

All three assignments must be completed in order to receive a passing grade. I will assign percentage grades to the examinations and letter grades to the research paper. At the end of term, however, I am required to hand in letter grades to the Records Office. I will use the following equivalencies when converting the numerical grades: A range, 100-86%, B range, 85-76%, C range, 75-66%, D range, 65-50%, F range, below 50%, or failure to complete assigned work by the stated deadlines without first requesting a legitimate extension. The range of A grades indicates excellent work, of B good work, of C fair work, of D and below poor or failing work. The failing grade of E (conditional supplemental) will only be assigned to research papers, and only in the exceptional cases where failure seems to be the result of a simple mechanical problem. Cheating or plagiarism of any type may result in a grade of F for the term. Spelling, grammar, and style are taken into consideration in grading the research paper. I will distribute a cover sheet that sets out in detail my expectations and my system for evaluating research papers, and a working definition of plagiarism. There is also a description of plagiarism on the Department web site.

Lecture Syllabus and Reading Assignments (subject to alteration in detail).

Sept.

5: Introduction: The sources for maritime history and archaeology.

9: The tools and techniques of archaeology underwater (I): shallow water and SCUBA accessible sites.

12: The “roots” of shipbuilding and the beginnings of seafaring in the Near East.

16: Egyptian seafaring and Bronze Age harbour technology.

19: Minoan and Mycenaean seafaring.

23: Seafaring in the age of Greek exploration and colonization.

26: The development of the trireme.

30: Video, The Athenian Trireme, and discussion.

Lansdowne visitor Dr. Anthony Parker will deliver 3 (optional) lectures this week on ancient maritime history (Mon. and Wed. at 3: 30 p.m., Thurs. at 7: 30 p.m.).

Oct.

3: Design, materials, and construction of Greek merchant ships.

7: Greek navigation and sailing techniques; Greek harbours.

10: MID-TERM EXAMINATION.

14: THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY.

17: Maritime cultures and ship-building technology. Video:  The Ancient Mariners.

21: Giant ships of the Hellenistic world.

24: Etruscan and pre-Roman seafaring in the Western Mediterranean.

28: Early Roman seafaring and warships.

31: Roman merchant ships and their cargoes.

Nov.

4: Sailing technique, shipping routes, and navigation in the Roman Mediterranean.

7: Roman harbour technology.

11-13: READING BREAK.

14: Case studies of harbour excavation:  Cosa (Italy), Caesarea in Palestine.

18: Greek and Roman navigation canals and river boats.

21: Guest lecture, to be announced.

25: Archaeology underwater (II):  Deep water survey and excavation.

28: The “Celtic” tradition of ship-building and the rise of the Medieval ship.

Dec.2: Summation and Synthesis.

Reserve List:

The titles in this list are in the Reserve Section, tagged for three-day loan. Delgado 1998, a very useful place to start your research, is in Reference. If you want further historical background to the lectures and your reading, from the Bronze Age to the Roman period, see the recent third edition of The Cambridge Ancient History (Ref. D57/C25/1970; also in the stacks, and the Greek and Roman Studies and History Reading Rooms).

Ballard, Robert D., Oleson, J.P. et al. “The discovery of ancient history in the deep sea using advanced deep submergence technology.” Deep-Sea Research I.47 (2000) 1591-1620. (personal copy on reserve).

Bass, George, ed. A History of Seafaring. New York: Walker & Co., 1972. (GS40/B272).

Casson, Lionel. Ships and Seamanship in the Ancient World. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1971. (VM15/C35).

Casson, Lionel. The Ancient Mariners. Rev ed. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1991. (personal copy on reserve).

Dean, Martin et al. Archaeology Underwater. The NAS Guide to Principles and Practice. London: NAS, 1992. (CC77/U5/A72).

Delgado, James P., ed. Encyclopedia of Underwater and Maritime Archaeology. New Haven: Yale, 1998. (Reference area CC77/U5E54).

Göttlicher, Arvid. Materialien für ein Corpus der Schiffsmodelle im Altertum. Mainz: von Zabern, 1978. (VM6/A1G63).

Green, Jeremy. Maritime Archaeology: A Technical Handbook. London: Academic Press, 1990. (CC77/U5G74).

Humphrey, John W., J.P. Oleson, A.N. Sherwood. Greek and Roman Technology: A Sourcebook. London: Routledge, 1998. (T16/H796).

McCann, Anna Marguerite. Deep Water Archaeology. Ann Arbor: JRA, 1994. (DG11/J62 no. 13).

Morrison, J.S., and J. Coates. Greek and Roman Oared Warships, 399-30 B.C. Oxford: Oxbow Books, 1996. (VM16/M6675).

Muckelroy, Keith. Maritime Archaeology. London: Cambridge University Press, 1978. (CC77/U5/M83).

Rougé, Jean. Ships and Fleets of the Ancient Mediterranean. Middletown: Wesleyan University Press, 1981. (VK16/R6413).

Relevant Periodicals (in the stacks, non-circulating): International Journal of Nautical Archaeology (CC77/I58), Mariner’s Mirror (VK1/M3), American Neptune (V1/A5), Gallia (DC30/G3).

I have published an annotated bibliography on ancient technology (including maritime technology) which is available in Reference. It is, however, somewhat outdated now: J.P. Oleson, Bronze Age, Greek, and Roman Technology: A Select, Annotated Bibliography. New York: Garland, 1986 (Ref. Z7914/H5O42). I have recently prepared a much more extensive and up-to-date computerized database of bibliography that can be searched by key words, author, date, or any part of the title. Many of the titles listed are not in our library, but you will find the bibliography useful in any case for your research paper. UVic call numbers are given where known. This bibliography can be accessed on the UVic server. Log on to your COUS users account in one of the Mac labs, then look for the “SFG Users” symbol on the desktop. The files will not work on a PC. Click on the icon, open the Greek and Roman Studies folder, the J.P. Oleson folder, then the GRS 377 folder. The FilemakerPro databases are labeled “Seafaring” (for general studies and ancient diving), “Ships” (for bibliography focused on ships and navigation), and “Harbours” (for harbours and canals). You will have to open FilemakerPro from the launcher on the desktop. You can search the databases by author, title, keywords, etc. Even if you have not used this program, the procedures are easy to figure out. Please see me if you need help, and let me know if you find any errors or omissions in the material, or have any suggestions. When you print out a selected set of bibliography, be sure to set the pull-down menu at the top left corner to “POBiblio”, or you will wind up printing the whole interface screen rather than just the data. To examine or search the database, set the same pull-down menu to “Data Entry”. Course handouts will also be posted here.

Relevant Web Sites:

You may also want to consult various resources on “the Web,” especially for topical bibliographies. There are many sites dealing with nautical archaeology, ancient warfare, and related topics, but you must of course remember that the information varies dramatically in quality. Links to the best sites can be found at the following addresses:

Guide to Underwater Archaeology Resources on the Internet:

Links to various sites concerned with nautical archaeology:

More links to sites concerned with nautical archaeology:

NAVIS, a database of some ancient shipwrecks:

Nautical Archaeology Society home page:

The Roman shipwrecks at Pisa:

Electronic Resources for Classicists. Lots of material.

University of Michigan Classics Department website. An enormous list of links to a variety of sites relevant to Greek art and architecture

TOCS-IN. An archive of tables of contents of journals relevant to Classics and Classical Archaeology, with some abstracts:

Perseus Project. 13,000 images of Greek art and architecture, with links to on-line ancient texts. We also have the large image database available on a local server in the CALL facility.

[rev. 08/02]