Ancient Mediterranean Sewn‐Boat Traditions

This article provides a summary and analysis of current knowledge of the archaeological remains of the 64 sewn boats that have been excavated in the Mediterranean region, dating from the Bronze Age to the Medieval periods. A detailed examination of the construction techniques, particularly the methods used to assemble and seal sewn planks and the systems used for lashing frames to the planking, has enabled six distinct construction traditions to be distinguished within the sewn‐boat assemblage. Phases within these traditions are examined, alongside transitions to mortise‐and‐tenon fasteners, and explanations for the longevity of sewn techniques in specific regions are suggested.     

Ancient Sounding-Weights and Navigation along the Mediterranean Coast of Israel

Underwater archaeological investigations in Israel have recovered scores of sounding-weights of varying shapes, weights and ages. Sixty-three examples kept in Israel Antiquities Authority collections are described in detail, discussed, and placed in a tentative typology of sounding-weight types from the Israeli coast. Finds from shipwreck assemblages enabled dating of some types. Integration of the topography and hydrography of the Israeli coast with site-formation processes provides a theoretical explanation for the high number of weights recovered from Israeli underwater sites.
© 2009 The Authors     

Salt and Fish Processing in the Ancient Mediterranean: A Brief Survey

The demand for salt generated by the dietary and domestic needs of most Greek city-states could be usually fulfilled by local resources given the general abundance of salt along the coasts of the ancient Mediterranean. The extremely rare references to interregional salt trade in literary and documentary sources corroborate this idea. As a bulky commodity with little economic value, salt was too expensive to be transported over long distances and was more conveniently obtainable from local resources. However, the situation was different when large-scale fish processing centers entered into the equation. The production and widespread distribution of processed fish required a steady supply of both fish and salt. Salt only was able to transform fish—which is otherwise extremely perishable—into a durable commodity, easy to store and trade. The strategic importance that salt assumed at these centers transformed its economic significance and made interregional trade both convenient and profitable. Also, it was through the medium of processed fish that the surplus of salt production available in certain regions was redistributed across the Mediterranean and came to play an important, albeit indirect, role in interregional trade.     

The Potential Performance of Ancient Mediterranean Sailing Rigs

A common statement in the academic literature relating to the ancient Mediterranean is that the lateen/settee rig superseded the Mediterranean square‐sail because it provided superior upwind performance, greater manoeuvrability and higher overall speed. This statement has been repeated so often that it is now commonly accepted. Research by the author sets out to develop an insight into the relative performance of both types of rig, based on historical sources, ethnographic records and the performance of representative, full‐size sailing vessels. This allows a reassessment to be made of the underlying reasons behind the adoption of the lateen/settee rig in the Mediterranean. © 2010 The Author     

The Conception of Hull Shape by Shell‐builders in the Ancient Mediterranean

Did ancient Mediterranean shipbuilders at the turn of the first millennium have methods to pre‐design the shape of their hulls prior to the construction of the ship? If so, can these methods be identified? This paper proposes that ancient shipwrights were in possession of such design methods, based on geometry, that are comparable to the medieval and post medieval hull‐design procedures called whole‐moulding. These methods are well suited to be transformed into rules‐of‐thumb, therefore allowing the storage and transmission of accumulated knowledge. The implications of this proposal on the present understanding of the transition from shell‐ to skeleton‐building are explored.     

Electron paramagnetic resonance of mosaic glasses from the Mediterranean area*

Ancient mosaic glass tesserae sampled from archaeological sites located in the Mediterranean area have been analysed by Inductively Coupled Plasma‐Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP‐OES). The aim of the research was to understand the role played by 3d transition metals in the optical properties of such samples. In order to better identify the specific effect of the main chromophorous element, modern samples have been prepared in the laboratory by adding to a colourless base frit controlled concentrations of colouring oxides. Samples with compositional and optical properties similar to the ancient ones have been obtained. For all these modern samples, as well as for all the ancient ones, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) measurements have been performed. The features of the EPR spectra could be successfully associated with the presence and abundance of the paramagnetic colouring ions (namely iron, manganese and copper) and to their oxidation states. This could be a basic step towards understanding the provenance and chronological attribution of mosaic glass tesserae.     

14部藏文古籍入选第一批国家珍贵古籍名录(英文)

The State Council of China approved and issued the "List of the First group of State-level Precious Ancient Books" on March1,2008,among which are2,282 Chinese-Han books and110book in other