The Maritime Transport of Sculptures in the Ancient Mediterranean

by: Velentza, K.

With a focus on the underwater context of sculptures retrieved from beneath the sea, this volume examines where, when, why and how sculptures were transported on the Mediterranean Sea during Classical Antiquity through the lenses of both maritime and classical archaeology.

The Maritime Transport of Sculptures in the Ancient Mediterranean examines where, when, why and how sculptures were transported on the Mediterranean Sea during Classical Antiquity through the lenses of both maritime and classical archaeology. From the 16th century onwards numerous ancient sculptures have been discovered in the Mediterranean from the context of surveyed shipwrecks, unrecorded potential shipwrecks or as isolated finds. Scholars so far have analysed those sculptural artefacts from an art historical perspective, with interpretation of their maritime transportation remaining conjectural due to the problematic recording and the remoteness of their underwater context.

With a focus on the underwater context of already retrieved sculptures, this book aims at comprehending in detail the various circumstances under which ancient sculptural artefacts were carried on board ancient merchant ships and were consequently deposited underwater. Through the creation of an extensive Mediterranean-wide database, with more than 100 known incidents of ancient sculptures found underwater, and the in-depth analysis of three case studies, the Porticello, Mahdia and Favaritx shipwrecks, a new interpretation is presented for this maritime activity. Thereby, new details for the maritime transport and distribution of sculptures during the period of Classical Antiquity are revealed. Finally, the volume demonstrates the importance of the thorough recording of underwater archaeological evidence in the hope of raising awareness and eliminating the salvage of ancient sculptures out of their underwater context, a practice that has been encouraging the illicit trade of such antiquities.

Contents
Introduction ;
Ancient sculptures lost at sea ;
Interpreting the maritime transport and underwater deposition of ancient sculptures in the Mediterranean Sea ;
Aims, objectives and research questions of the project ;
Structure of this book ;

Primary sources and literature review ;
Introduction ;
Ancient sources and historical records on the maritime transport and underwater deposition of sculptures ;
The underwater deposition of the ?Arundel collection? ;
The Mentor shipwreck ;
The HMS Colossus shipwreck ;
The SS Castor shipwreck ;
The history of discovering ancient sculptures underwater ;
Approaches to the study of ancient Greek and Roman sculptures from under water ;
Conclusion ;

Methodology of the research ;
Introduction ;
The importance of archaeological contexts in the study of sculptures from the waters of the Mediterranean Sea ;
Macro-scale research ;
Micro-scale research ;
Conclusion ;

The database for the maritime transport of sculptures in the ancient Mediterranean ;
Introduction ;
Geographical distribution of underwater deposits ;
Chronological distribution of underwater deposits ;
Types of sculptures transported by sea ;
Possible reasons and patterns of transport ;
The packing and stowing of sculptures on board ancient merchant vessels ;
Conclusion ;

Revisiting the Porticello shipwreck ;
Introduction ;
History of the discovery and research ;
The ship remains ;
The shipboard artefacts and the non-sculptural cargo ;
The sculptures ;
Interpreting the maritime transport of sculptures ;
Conclusion ;

The Favaritx shipwreck and the maritime transport of bronze sculptures as scrap ;
Introduction ;
Discovery and previous study of the Favaritx shipwreck ;
The sculptural artefacts ;
The non-sculptural artefacts ;
Interpreting the maritime transport of the Favaritx ship ;
Conclusion ;

The Mahdia shipwreck: reconsidering old data, making new observations ;
Introduction ;
Discovery and previous research ;
Re-evaluating the Mahdia shipwreck material ;
The ship remains ;
The sculptural artefacts ;
The other non-sculptural artefacts ;
Interpreting the maritime transport of the Mahdia ship ;
Conclusion ;

Discussion ;
Introduction ;
Where were sculptures transported by sea in the ancient Mediterranean? ;
When were sculptures transported by sea in the ancient Mediterranean? ;
Why were sculptures transported by sea in the ancient Mediterranean? ;
How were sculptures transported by sea in the ancient Mediterranean? ;
The maritime transport of sculptures in retrospect ;

Conclusion ;
Results of the research ;
Future directions ;

References ;

Appendix 1 (Online) Database ;

Appendix 2 (Online) Finds not included in the Database ;

Index

The Maritime Transport of Sculptures in the Ancient Mediterranean

by: Velentza, K.

• ISBN-13: 9781803273303 / 978-1-80327-330-3
• ISBN-03: 1803273305 / 1-80327-330-5
• Archaeopress, Oxford, 2022