Romans, Arabs, and Vikings. Seafaring in the Mediterranean during the Early Christian Era. Anthropology 489

Tuesdays and Thursdays, 3:55 to 5:10 PM; Room ANTH105; Dr. Filipe Castro Office 105 Anthropology Building, E-Mail: [email protected] Office hours: 1-3:30 Tuesday or by appointment In this course we will examine seafaring, maritime commerce, naval affairs, and shipbuilding in the Mediterranean from the late Roman Period until the fall of Constantinople, in 1453. Everyone must keep up with the readings. Students are expected to participate in the class. The final grade is based 40% on a mid-term exam, 40% on a final exam, and 20% on two take home assignments. Exam questions – each exam consists of four essay questions – will be based on reading material and class notes. Grade scale: A: 90-100; B: 80-89.99; C: 70-79.99; D: 60-69.99; F: 0-59.99.

General Readings (on reserve in the library) Bass, George F., ed., A History of Seafaring based on Underwater Archaeology, London: Thames and Hudson, 1972. Greenhill, Basil, The Evolution of the Wooden Ship, New York: Facts on File, 1988. Holmes, G., ed., The Oxford Illustrated History of Medieval Europe, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Hourani, A. A History of the Arab Peoples. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1991. Mackay, A., and Ditchburn, D., Atlas of Medieval Europe. New York : Routledge, 1997. Ostrogorsky, G. History of the Byzantine State. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1969. Steffy, J. Richard, Wooden Shipbuilding and the Interpretation of Shipwrecks, College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 1994.

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Schedule Week 1: Introduction 1. Introduction. Overview of the Course. Exams. Assignments. Essay. Readings. The Mediterranean Sea. 2. Ships and Shipbuilding: Basic Concepts I. Readings: Greenhill 1988: 21-29; Steffy 1994: 266-298.

Week 2: Late Roman or Early Byzantine Period I – The East-West Spit 3. Ships and Shipbuilding: Basic Concepts II. Readings: Greenhill 1988: 29-39; Steffy 1994: 266-298. 4. History: The Mediterranean Sea. Late Antiquity and the East-West split: from Diocletian to Theodosius (284-395 AD). First Assignment Due. Readings: Ostrogorsky 1969: 27-50 and 580-581.

Week 3: Late Roman or Early Byzantine Period II – Shipwrecks 5. Case-studies: Roman Ships I – Mortise and tenon joints. The shipwreck of the Madrague de Giens (c. 60 BC). Readings: Madrague de Giens Ship File. Pomey, P., « Le navire romain de la Madrague de Giens » Paris: CRAI (1982): 133-154. 6. Roman Ships II – The wreck of the Bourse de Marseilles (c. AD 200). Trade in the late Roman period. Readings: Bourse de Marseilles Ship File. Gassend, J.-M. L’épave antique du Lacydon. Marseilles 1982.

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Week 4: Late Roman or Early Byzantine Period III – Warships 7. History: Security in the seas. The Mediterranean in the 3rd to 5th centuries. Notitia Dignitatum. Readings: Class notes. Rankov, B. “Fleets of the Early Roman Empire, 31 BC - AD 324.” In The Age of the Galley: Mediterranean Oared Vessels Since Pre-classical Times. R Gardiner (ed.), Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1995: 78-85. Hocker, F. “Late Roman, Byzantine, and Islamic Galleys and Fleets,” in The Age of the Galley: Mediterranean Oared Vessels Since Pre-classical Times, R. Gardiner, (ed.) Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1995: 86-100. 8. History: Piracy. Roman Biremes. Liburnians: warships from the 1st to the 5th century AD. Readings: Hockmann, O. “The Liburnian: Some Observations and Insights,” IJNA 26 (1997) 192-216.

Week 5: Late Roman or Early Byzantine Period IV – 5th and 6th Centuries 9. History: From Theodosius to Heraclius (379-641 AD). The merchant world in the Mediterranean. Readings: Ostrogorsky 1969: 50-68 and 68-86. 10. History: Army’s needs, 2nd to 5th centuries. Roads, canals and harbors. Readings: Treadgold, W. Byzantium and its Army 284-1081. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1995. Chapter 2. The Roman Army’s Second Millennium, pages 8-42.

Week 6: Late Roman or Early Byzantine Period V – 5th and 6th Centuries 11. History: Urban demands, 3rd to 7th centuries. Bulk cargoes: grain and building materials. Amphorae: wine, oil, and fish sauce. Luxury cargoes. Readings: Hodges, R. Dark Age Economics: The origins of towns and trade A.D. 6001000. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1982. Ostrogorsky 1969, 87-109. 12. Case studies: The Skerki Bank Shipwrecks, 1st century BC to 4th century AD. Trade routes and ship sizes through time. Readings: Ballard, R. D. and R. Archbold. The Lost Wreck of the Isis. New York: Madison 3

Press Books, 1990, pages 20-25 and 36-47. Parker, A.J. Ancient Shipwrecks of the Mediterranean and the Roman Provinces. BAR International Series 580. Oxford: Hadrian Books, 1992, pages 1-33. Second Assignment Due.

Week 7: Byzantines and Arabs I – 7th and 8th Centuries 13. History: The Umayyad Caliphate (661-750 AD). Readings: Hourani 1991: 5-32; Ostrogorsky 1969: 110-123. 14. Exam 1 - March 9 – Midterm grades due!

Week 8: Byzantines, Arabs, and the French – 8th and 9th Centuries 15. Video: The Dark Ages (30 min) CB351.D37 1995. Case studies: Transition from shell to skeleton: Yassıada II, Tantura A, and Yassıada I. Readings: van Doornink, F., “Byzantium mistress of the sea: 330-641” in Bass 1972: 134146. Yassıada II, Tantura A, and Yassıada I Ship Files. 16. History: Charlemagne (AD 742-814). The ships of the Franks. Readings: Greenhill 1988: 35-52; Mackay and Ditchburn 1997: 10-20; Pirenne, H., Mohamed and Charlemagne. New York: Dover Publications, 1935. Pages 5, 140-165, 224-235, and 284-285.

Week 9 – SPRING BREAK No classes.

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Week 10: Byzantines and Arabs III - Lateeners 17. Case studies: Lateen Rigging. The Bozburun shipwreck. Readings: Castro, F., Fonseca, N., and Ciciliot, F., “A Quantitative Look at Mediterranean Lateen- and Square-Rigged Ships (Part 1),” International Journal of Nautical Archaeology (2008) 37.2: 347-359. Bozburun Ship File. 18. Video (first half of): Cities of Light: The Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain (DP101.C585 2007).

Week 11: Invasions I – Vikings. 19. History: East and West. The Mediterranean during the Abbasid Period (750-1258 AD). The Mediterranean World in the 8th and 9th centuries. Western Europe. Eastern Europe. Northern Europe. The Muslim World. Readings: Hourani 1991: 32-37. 20. Case studies: The “Saracen” wrecks: Estéou, Agay A and B, Batéguier. Tantura B shipwreck. Readings: Agay A and B, Batéguier, Estéou, and Tantura B Ship Files.

Week 12: Invasions II – Vikings (continued) and Normans. 21. History: The Vikings arrive! Readings: Haywood, J., The Penguin Historical Atlas of the Vikings. New York: Penguin Books, 1995. 22: Clinker built ships. Readings: Greenhill 1988: 35-52. Nydam, Oseberg, Gokstad, and Skuldelev 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6 Ship Files.

Week 13: Invasions III – Crusaders 23. History: The time of the cathedrals. The Mediterranean World in the 10th and 11th centuries. Readings: Le Goff, Jacques, Medieval Civilization 400-1500: 37-105.

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24. Case studies: Dromons; prepared fire; Logistics of War. Leo’s (866-912) Tactica. Prepared Fire. Galleys and trade. Readings: Pryor, J.H. “From Byzantine dromon to medieval galley,” in Age of the Galley: Mediterranean Oared Vessels Since Pre-Classical Times, R. Gardiner, (ed.) Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press 1995.

Week 14: The Late Medieval Revolution, 1025-1453 25. History: The Crusading Era (1095-1291). Readings: Mackay and Ditchburn 1997: 70-109. 26. Video : Villard de Honnecourt (15 min) NC248.V52 V55 1986. Case studies: Ships of the time of the cathedrals: Serçe Limanı and Tantura F. Readings: Castro, F., Fonseca, N., and Ciciliot, F., “A Quantitative Look at Mediterranean Lateen- and Square-Rigged Ships (Part 1),” International Journal of Nautical Archaeology (2008) 37.2: 347-359. Serçe Limanı and Tantura F Ship Files. http://classes.bnf.fr/villard/index.htm

Week 15: Trading, Ships and Shipwrights 27. Video: The Renaissance (55 min) CB361.R25 2007. 28. History: Italy and the Renaissance, 1025-1453. The commercial explosion. Readings: Greenhill 1988: 52-76. Mackay and Ditchburn 1997: 158-196.

Week 16: Trading, Ships and Shipwrights 29. History: The origin of the 3-masted ship. The Iberian Discoveries. Readings: Turnbull, S., The Ottoman Empire 1326-1699. New York: Osprey Publishing, 2003: 7-40. 30. History: Guns and war at sea. The Ottomans and the End of the Middle Ages. Readings: Marques, A. Oliveira, History of Portugal. New York: Columbia University Press, 1972: 133-163.

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Exams Exam 1 – March 3rd. Exam 2 – To be scheduled.

Take Home Assignments Assignment 1 – Draw two maps of Europe and the Mediterranean Sea, the first with all the countries that surround it today, and the second with the Roman Empire around the end of the second century AD. Due January 27. Assignment 2 – Draw two maps of Europe and the Mediterranean Sea, the first with the political divisions circa AD 700, and the second at the time of the First Crusade. Due February 3rd.

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