GREEK AND ROMAN STUDIES 377 (2008):
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 3:30-4:20 p.m., Wednesday 1:30-2:20, or by appointment.

Schedule: Monday and Thursday at 1:00-2:15 a.m. in Clearihue A303.

Texts:

L. Casson, The Ancient Mariners. 2nd ed. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1991.
L. Casson, Ships and Seamanship in the Ancient World. Rev ed. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1995.
D. J. Blackman, “Sea Transport, Part 2: Harbors.” Pp. 638-70 in J. P. Oleson, ed., Oxford Handbook of Engineering and Technology in the Classical World. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008. (available as PDF file on the course Blackboard site).
R. L. Hohlfelder et al. “Constructing the Harbour of Caesarea Palaestina: New Evidence From the ROMACONS Field Campaign of October 2005,” International Journal of Nautical Archaeology 36 (2007) 409-15. (available as PDF file on the course Blackboard site).
J. P. Oleson, “Navigation,” in J.W. Humphrey, J.P. Oleson, A.N. Sherwood, Greek and Roman Technology: A Sourcebook. London: Routledge, 1998, pp. 442-84. (available as PDF file on the course Blackboard site).
J. P. Oleson et al., “Reproducing a Roman maritime structure with Vitruvian pozzolanic concrete.” Journal of Roman Archaeology 19 (2006) 29-52. (available as PDF file on the course Blackboard site).

Requirements: (1) Mid-term examination (February 25. 25% of term grade).
(2) Research paper (2,500 words. Due March 31. 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. The essay questions will be selected from a list handed out a week prior to the exam.

Grading System:
All assignments must be completed in order to receive a passing grade in the course. Electronic copies of the research paper must be submitted to SafeAssignment for evaluation of originality; if you object to this procedure, do not register for the course. I will mark all assignments with percentages of the total possible score. I will use the following equivalences for transforming the percentage grade into the letter grades that must be submitted to the registrar at the end of term: A range, 100-86%, B range, 85-76%, C range, 75-66%, D range, 65-50%, F range, below 50%. Cheating or plagiarism of any type may result in a grade of F for the term, and the case will be referred to the Dean. Spelling, grammar, and style are taken into consideration in grading the research papers. See the UVic Calendar pp. 33-4 for a definition of plagiarism. I will distribute a cover sheet that sets out in detail my system for evaluating research papers and my policy on late submission.

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

Jan. 3: Introduction: The sources for maritime history and archaeology.
7: The tools and techniques of archaeology underwater (I): shallow water and SCUBA accessible sites.
Casson AM, 23-29, 170-76.
10: Archaeology underwater (II): Deep-water survey and excavation.
Recommended: Ballard 2000, McCann 1994 (on reserve).
14: The “roots” of shipbuilding and the beginnings of seafaring in the Near East.
Casson AM, 3-22, S&S, 3-29. Sourcebook, 442-45.
17: Egyptian seafaring and Bronze Age harbour technology.
Casson AM, 30-54.
21: Minoan and Mycenaean seafaring.
Casson S&S, 30-42.
24: Seafaring in the age of Greek exploration and colonization.
Casson AM, 55-80, S&S, 43-76.
28: The development of the trireme.
Casson AM, 81-96, S&S, 77-96.
31: Video, The Athenian Trireme, and discussion.
Feb. 4: Design, materials, and construction of Greek merchant ships.
Casson AM, 97-115, S&S, 157-223. Sourcebook, 445-52.
7: Greek navigation and sailing techniques.
Casson AM, 116-26, S&S, 224-299. Sourcebook, 452-55, 462-75.
11: Greek and Roman knowledge of the deep sea.
14: Greek harbours.
Blackman 2008 (concentrate on the Greek sections).
Feb. 18-22: READING BREAK.
25: MID-TERM EXAMINATION.
28: Giant ships of the Hellenistic world.
Casson AM, 127-42, S&S, 97-140. Sourcebook, 455-62.
Mar. 3: Etruscan and pre-Roman seafaring in the Western Mediterranean.
6: Early Roman seafaring and warships.
Casson AM, 143-56, 177-97, S&S, 141-56.
10: Roman merchant ships, shipping routes and their cargoes.
Casson AM, 157-76, 198-212, review S&S, 157-200; read S&S 300-28, 344-60.
13: Roman harbour technology and hydraulic concrete.
Casson S&S, 361-70. Sourcebook, 475-81; Blackman 2008 (review the Roman sections); Hohlfelder et al. 2007; Oleson et al. 2006.
17: Case study of harbour excavation: Caesarea in Palestine.
20: Greek and Roman navigation canals and river boats.
Casson S&S, 329-43. Sourcebook, 481-84.
24: Easter Monday holiday.
27: Ship construction. Video: The Ancient Mariners.
31: The “Celtic” tradition of shipbuilding and the rise of the Medieval ship.
Casson AM, 213-18.
RESEARCH PAPER DUE.
Apr. 3: 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). If you feel that more or less restrictive loan periods would be useful for a particular item, let me know.

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).
Casson, Lionel. Ships and Seamanship in the Ancient World. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1995. (personal copy on reserve).
Casson, Lionel. The Ancient Mariners. Rev ed. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1991. (personal copy on reserve).
Delgado, James P., ed. Encyclopedia of Underwater and Maritime Archaeology. New Haven: Yale, 1998. (Reference area CC77/U5E54).
de Souza, Philip. Piracy in the Graeco-Roman World. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999. (DE88/D4).
Humphrey, John W., J.P. Oleson, A.N. Sherwood. Greek and Roman Technology: A Sourcebook. London: Routledge, 1998. (T16/H796).
Mark, Samuel. Homeric Seafaring. College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press, 2005. (PA4037/M28).
McCann, Anna Marguerite. Deep Water Archaeology. Ann Arbor: JRA, 1994. (DG11/J62 no. 13).
McGrail, Seán. Boats of the World. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002. (VM16/M3823).
Morrison, J.S., and J. Coates. Greek and Roman Oared Warships, 399-30 B.C. Oxford: Oxbow Books, 1996. (VM16/M6675).
Morrison, J.S.; J. Coates; N.B. Rankov. The Athenian Trireme. 2nd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000. (VM16/M667/2000).
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).
Steffy, J. Richard. Wooden Ship Building and the Interpretation of Shipwrecks. College Station TX: Texas A&M, 1994. (VM144/S73).
Relevant Periodicals (in the stacks, non-circulating): International Journal of Nautical Archaeology (CC77/I58), Mariner’s Mirror (VK1/M3), American Neptune (V1/A5).

Blackboard (WebCT) Resources:
The Blackboard site for the course contains copies of the course syllabus, pdf files of Blackman 2008, Hohlfelder 2007, and Oleson 1998 and 2006. You can view these on the web server, print them out, or download the files to your computer. As the term progresses, I will also mount copies of the key words and dates relevant to each lecture, along with copies of the handouts concerning the research paper, and examination review sheets. There is also a file of links to various web-based resources useful for topics discussed in the course.

Bibliographical Resources:
There are excellent topical bibliographies in the reading for the course. As a supplement, I have made available my extensive and up-to-date computerized database of bibliography of ancient ships, navigation, and harbours that can be searched by key words, author, date, or any part of the title. Some of the items listed are not in our library, but you may find the bibliography useful in any case for your research paper, particularly for journal articles. UVic call numbers are given where known, but their absence does not mean the item is not in the library. I have exported this bibliography from FileMakerPro to an Excel file to make it more accessible, so the formatting is not very elegant. You can access the database on the Blackboard course site, but the machine you are using will have to have a copy of Excel in order to open the file. To search the keyword column click on the arrow at the right side of that column and click on “custom filter” (near the top). Select “Key Words Contains” from the pull-down list, and type, for example, “trireme” to get a list of all the items for which one of the keywords is “trireme.” You can, of course, refine the keyword searches with the and/or alternatives provided, and you can search any of the columns in the same manner. If you have trouble accessing this database, come see me in my office for assistance.

Web Sites:
You may also want to consult various resources on “the web.” Google now works amazingly well for topical words, and Google Image for photographs of objects and structures. I have also placed a list of useful web sites on the Blackboard site for the course. DO NOT DOWNLOAD TEXT AND USE IT IN YOUR RESEARCH PAPERS WITHOUT CITING THE SOURCE. THIS CONSTITUTES PLAGIARISM AND, NATURALLY, IS VERY EASY TO TRACE. In any case, except for a very few web sites of academic origin (such as that of the Institute of Nautical Archaeology), most web sites are not suitable sources of interpretive information for your research paper and must not be used as such. They are best used as sources of illustrations and occasionally for specific information. If you wish to cite information from a web site, simply list the URL in the citation note or footnote, as you would a book or journal article.
[rev. 12/07]