Ancient Fishing Methods and Fishing Grounds in the Lake of Galilee

Fishing was an important economic activity in the Lake of Galilee during the Roman period. This study proposes a comparative analysis involving archaeological remains, classic literature, ancient art and modern ethnographical accounts regarding fishing in the Kinneret to produce an historical reconstruction of the ancient commercial fishing methods. Furthermore, it aims to individuate the most important fishing areas, the fishing seasons, and to the roll of cities and towns around the Kinneret within the fishing industry.     

The comfort of the river: understanding the affective geographies of angling waterscapes in young people’s coping practices

ABSTRACT

This paper draws on ethnographic research with angling intervention programmes working with ‘disaffected’ young people in the UK to demonstrate how young people use the affective geographies of waterscapes to regulate their feelings and escape stressful lives. But rather than interpret the restorative or therapeutic quality of waterscapes as the consequence of (passive) immersion into green/blue spaces, we argue that ‘comfort’ is derived from an ongoing, active engagement with(in) the world. Drawing on works influenced by phenomenological theories and relational understandings of the more-than-human world, we illustrate how the affectual qualities of waterscapes are continually ‘woven’ into being through the material and embodied practices of young anglers. However, understanding why waterscapes ‘matter’ to young people also requires accounting for those assemblages originating in the past that shape these co-experienced worlds.     

Fishery in prehistoric and medieval Tallinn,Estonia

During archaeological excavations in central Tallinn, Estonia, many fish bones were collected among other archaeological finds. As these were salvage excavations conducted under limited time and cost restraints, only a very small part of the removed soil could be examined for fish bones. In such hasty conditions, the only option was to take soil samples from selected areas and carry out water sieving in the laboratory. This procedure resulted in the recovery of a variety of fish remains. Also, a previous conclusion that only large fish were captured is re-evaluated. This paper focuses on two recently excavated medieval sites in Tallinn: Tartu Road 1 and Vabaduse Square. In Vabaduse Square, a Late Neolithic settlement was also discovered under the medieval layers. The analysis of the three different assemblages of fish bones from the two sites, which were collected by somewhat different methods, contributes to our knowledge on fishing and fish consumption in Tallinn's past.     

Proceedings of the royal Scottish geographical society

EUROPE.

Scotland Picturesque and Traditional. By Geo. Eyre‐Todd. Stirling : Eneas Mackay, 1931. Price 5s.

In the Highlands. By Seton Gordon. London : Cassell and Co. Ltd., 1931. Price 7s. 6d.

A Last Voyage to St. Kilda. By Alasdair Alpin Macgregor. London: Cassell and Co. Ltd., 1931. Price 7s. 6d.

Rambles in Dorset. By J. H. Wade. London : Methuen and Co. Ltd., 1931. Price 7s. 6d.

Everyday Life in Old Scotland. By J. F. Geant. Part I.: To 1603. Part II.: 1603–1707. London : George Allen and Unwin Ltd., 1931. Price 2s. 6d. each Part.

So You ‘re Going to Spain. By Clara E. Laughlin. London : Methuen and Co. Ltd., n.d. Price 10s. 6d.

Greek Cities in Italy and Sicily. By David Randall‐MacIver. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1931. Price 12s. 6d.

Modern Germanies. By Cicely Hamilton. London and Toronto : J. M. Dent and Sons Ltd., 1931. Price 7s. 6d.

The Austrian Tyrol. By Ian F. D. Morrow. London : Faber and Faber Ltd., 1931. Price 15s.

Austria. By J. D. Newth. London : A. and C. Black Ltd., 1931. Price 7s. 6d.

An Agricultural Atlas of Scotland. By H. J. Wood. London : George Gill and Sons Ltd., 1931. Price 3s. 6d.

Les Paysages Catalans. Par Marcel Chevalier. Paris : Albert Blanchard, 1929. Prix 30 francs.

Kalabrien. Von Helmuth Kanter. Hamburg : Friederichsen, de Gruyter und Co., 1930.

Peninsular Europe. By L. W. Lyde, M.A. London : Longmans, Green and Co. Ltd., 1931. Price 10s. 6d. net.

The Baltic States : Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. By Hebe Spaull. London : A. and C. Black Ltd., 1931. Price 2s. 6d. net.

Skara Brae : A Pictish Village in Orkney. By V. Gordon Childe, B.Litt., Professor of Prehistoric Archaeology in Edinburgh University, author of The Most Ancient East, The Aryans, The Dawn of European Civilisation, etc. With chapters by Professor T. H. Bryce, F.R.S., and Professor D. M. S. Watson, F.R.S. London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner and Co. Ltd., 1931. Price 31s. 6d.

A foot in Portugal. By John Gibbons. London : George Newnes Ltd., n.d. Price 7s. 6d.

Wanderings in Greece. By F. S. Burnell. London : Edward Arnold and Co., 1931. Price 7s. 6d.

Wanderings. By Arthur Symons. London : J. M. Dent and Sons Ltd., 1931. Price 8s. 6d.

ASIA.

Life in the Chinese Church. By T. Ralph Morton. London : The Student Christian Movement Press. Price 1s. 6d. net.

Romantic Ceylon : Its History, Legend, and Story. By R. H. Bassett. London : Cecil Palmer, 1929. Price 7s. 6d.

The People of the Leaves. By Vivian Meik. London: Philip Allan and Co. Ltd., 1931. Price 12s. 6d.

AFRICA.

A Wayfarer in North Africa : Tunisia and Algiers. By Fletcher Allen. London : Methuen and Co. Ltd., 1931. Price 7s. 6d.

Early Days in East Africa. By the late Sir Frederick Jackson. London : Edward Arnold and Co., 1930. Price 21s.

A Vagabond in Barbary. By Harry L. Foster. Illustrated. London : John Lane (The Bodley Head Ltd.), 1930. Price 12s. 6d. net.

Through Unknown Africa, By William Jaspert. Translated by Agnes Platt. London : Jarrolds Ltd. Price 12s. 6d. net.

Jungle Ways. By William B. Seabrook. London : Harrap and Co. Ltd., 1931. Price 10s. 6d. net.

AMERICA.

Land of Wonder and Fear. By F. A. Mitchell‐Hedges. London : Duckworth and Co. Ltd., 1931. Price 18s.

A Yankee in Patagonia. Edward Chace: His Thirty Years There, 1898–1928. By Robert and Katharine Barrett. Cambridge: W. Heffer and Sons Ltd., 1931. Price 12s. 6d.

POLAR.

South Georgia. By L. H. Matthews. Bristol: J. Wright and Sons. London: Simpkin Marshall Ltd., 1931. Price 15s. net.

GENERAL.

A Short History of British Expansion. By James A. Williamson. London: Macmillan and Co. Ltd. Second Edition, 1930. Two vols. Price 15s. each.

Plant Life through the Ages : A Geological and Botanical Retrospect. By A. C. : Seward. Cambridge : University Press, 1931. Price 30s.

Memoirs of a Ceylon Planter's Travels. By Mountsteven Bremer. London : Rivington and Co., 1930. Price 10s. 6d.

The World Mapped : Being a Short History of Attempts to Map the World from Antiquity to the Twentieth Century. By I. J. Curnow, B.A., Ph.D. (Lond.). London : Sifton Praed and Co., 1930. Price 5s.

Geographische Grundlagen der Geschichte. Von Hugo Hassinger. Freiburg im Breisgau : Herder und Co., 1931. Preis M. 10.50.

Climatology. By A. Austin Miller. London : Methuen and Co. Ltd., 1931. Price 12s. 6d. net.

Climate. By W. G. Kendkew. Oxford : The Clarendon Press, 1930. Price 15s.

Raw Materials of Commerce. By J. Henry Vanstone. Two vols. London : Sir Isaac Pitman and Sons Ltd., 1929. Price 40s. net.

Blood and Oil in the Orient. By Essad Bey. Translated from the German by Elsa Talmey. London : Nash and Grayson Ltd., 1930. Price 18s. net.

EDUCATIONAL.

South America. By Edward V. Lane. (Harrap's New Geographical Series.) London : George Harrap and Co. Ltd., 1931. Price 3s.

Social and Economic Geography. By L. Brettle, M.A., B.Litt., F.R.G.S. London : Sir Isaac Pitman and Sons Ltd., 1931. Price 10s. 6d. net.

Land Forms and Life. By C. C. Carter. London : Christophers, 1931. Price 6s.     

The role of labrid fish in prehistoric economics in New Zealand

Labrids are one of the most common types of fish to occur in inshore rocky marine habitats in New Zealand. There are major discontinuities in their relative abundance in archaeological sites from different regions of New Zealand, and these are difficult to reconcile with known distributional patterns. A number of possible explanations are examined such as changes in fishing technology and various ecological factors. It is concluded that the reasons for these observed fluctuations may vary considerably from one case to another, but where large numbers were caught by prehistoric people who had access to alternative fish resources, unreliability of some major aspect of the economy may be inferred. A combination of poor sea conditions and marginal horticulture is likely to increase the importance of labrid fish.     

Fjord fishing in Mesolithic Western Norway

Recent excavations at two rockshelters (Olsteinhelleren and Sævarhelleren) on the Hardanger fjord in Western Norway have provided an unparalleled opportunity to examine the Mesolithic subsistence economy of this region. Thousands of fish remains (as well as numerous mammal and bird bones) have been analysed from these assemblages. Results show that the fishery was dominated by gadids, but labrids and salmonids were also important. Many other fish were present in small quantities, including the first specimen of sturgeon from the Stone Age of Norway. The transition to a more specialised fishery at the younger site, Olsteinhelleren, may be a reflection of a switch to the use of this locality as a logistic camp for the targeting of gadid fish.     

Fishing settlements in the Pskov region in the 16th century (according to archaeological data and written sources)

Numerous written sources report that an extensive system of special fishing villages called isads existed in the Pskov region in the 16th century. These villages were inhabited by professional fishermen and their fishing grounds were strictly delineated. Due to the analysis of scribes books, cartographic material analysis and exploratory excavations in the area, 314 sites were exposed. More than 60% of the fishing sites mentioned in the scribes books were mapped and the location of 20% more was determined by indirect information. Some of the isads which were located are partially studied by prompt or archaeological excavations. During the excavations of beach debris, some fishing gear dated to the late Medieval–Modern time periods were found. The combination of information obtained from the study of lake coastline changes, hydrological regime of waterways and water bodies of the Pskov region, and data on the economy and economics of the whole area under study give impetus to research into a number of problems related to natural environmental characteristics of the Pskov region for the period of study.     

Population,Households and Fisheries in the Parish of Hvalsnes,Southwestern Iceland, 1750–1850

Abstract

This is an in-depth study of the parish of Hvalsnes, a small fishing community situated on the Reykjanes peninsula in southwestern Iceland, during the period 1750–1850. The study is inspired by the nordic Coastal Region Project carried out in the 1990s, focussing on the relationship between economic factors and household size and structure. With reference to the concept of ecotype, Hvalsnes is compared to a few farming communities in southern and western Iceland as regards a number of economic and demographic factors. Among the features characterizing the Hvalsnes community was the large proportion of crofter and cottar households in relation to those of independent farmer-fishermen; the former constituted a valuable workforce for the commercial cod fisheries on the abundant Reykjanes banks. At the same time, the study reveals that during the winter season the operation of the fishing fleet was highly dependent on seasonal migration from farming areas. In this perspective Hvalsnes appears to be an Icelandic parallel to Lofoten in Norway. A closer view of the techniques and social organization of fishing in the parish discloses significant differences between its three individual sections. It is argued that these differences help to explain why some sections suffered more, in economic and demographic terms, than others from the natural catastrophes and political changes which took place towards the end of the eighteenth century. However, these changes did not alter the general condition of the landless population: cottars by the seaside and living-in servants in the countryside. Among these groups many individuals continued now as before their seasonal migration between the two ecotypes. Tentatively, it is argued that the seasonal exchange of workforce between fishing and farming communities contributed to an efficient use of the labour capacity of their members.