https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3447-9729![Sample our Humanities journals, sign in here to start your FREE access for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5939/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Humanities.jpg"})
ABSTRACT
This paper presents the results of new research on underwater archaeological evidence for the maritime transport of sculptures in the ancient Mediterranean. Through the creation of a Mediterranean-wide database and with a focus on information from surviving archaeological deposits, this study explores ancient Greek and Roman sculptures from under water as a dataset of transported artefacts that had a specific function within the maritime context of their discovery. This documentation, analysis and interpretation of underwater deposits with sculptures provide previously unexplored data regarding the geographical extent, date, reasons and circumstances of maritime movement of sculptural artefacts during Antiquity.
RESUMEN
Este artículo presenta los resultados investigaciones recientes en torno a las evidencias arqueológicas subacuática sobre el transporte marítimo de escultural en el Mediterráneo Antiguo. A través de la creación de una base de datos que abarca todo el Mediterráneo, con un énfasis en la información de depósitos arqueológicos, este estudio explora esculturas griegas y romanas de procedencia subacuática como conjunto de datos de artefactos transportados que tuvieron una función específica dentro del contexto marítimo en el que fueron hallados. Esta documentación, análisis e interpretación de los contextos subacuáticos con esculturas provee información previamente inexplorada sobre la extensión geográfica, periodo, razones y circunstancias del transporte marítimo de esculturas durante la Antigüedad.
摘要
本文介绍了有关古代地中海海上雕塑运输的水下考古证据的最新研究成果。该项研究通过创建覆盖整个地中海的数据库并侧重于现存考古沉积物的信息，探讨了纳入手工艺品运输数据集的水下古希腊和罗马雕塑，这些人工制品在其被发现的海洋环境中具有特定功能。这种对带有雕塑的水下沉积物的记录、分析和阐释，提供了有关古代雕塑制品海上运输的地理范围、日期、原因和环境这些以往未曾探索过的数据。
摘要
本文介紹了有關古代地中海海上雕塑運輸的水下考古學證據的最新研究成果。該項研究通過創建覆蓋整個地中海的數據庫並側重於現存考古沉積物的信息，探討了手工藝品運輸數據集的水下古希臘和羅馬雕塑，這些人工製品在其被發現的海洋環境中具有特定功能。這種對帶有雕塑的水下沉積物的記錄、分析和闡釋，提供了有關古代雕塑製品海上運輸的地理範圍、日期、原因和環境這些以往未曾探索過的數據。
الكلمات الدلالیة:
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank and acknowledge scholars who contributed to my data collection: my PhD supervisors Julian Whitewright, Dragana Mladenović and Simon Keay; Octavio Pons Machado from the Museum of Menorca; Ouafa Slimane from the Institute National du Patrimoine in Tunisia; Alexandra Sofroniew, curator of the exhibition ‘Storms, War and Shipwrecks: Treasures from the Sicilian Seas’ in the Ashmolean Museum; George Koutsouflakis from the Greek Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities; Brendan Foley from Lund University; Kenneth Lapatin from the J. Paul Getty Museum; Jacob Sharvit, Ehud Galili and Danny Syon from the Israel Antiquities Authority; Winfried Held from Philipps-Universität Marburg. I would, also, like to thank all of the funding bodies that supported me during the doctoral research from which this paper originates: the Onassis Foundation; the Lawrence Arthur Burgess Scholarship from the University of Southampton; the Greek Archaeological Committee UK; the Honor Frost Foundation that awarded me the ‘Small Grant Award’ in 2017; the Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies that awarded me the ‘Hugh Last & General Fund’ in 2018; as well as the British School at Athens that awarded me the ‘John Morrison Memorial Fund for Hellenic Maritime Studies’ in 2018.
Disclosure Statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Declaration
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.
Notes
1 The present paper stems from a doctoral dissertation with the title ‘The Maritime Transport of Sculptures in the Ancient Mediterranean’ (Velentza, Citation2020) completed at the University of Southampton.
2 The geographical position of archaeological deposit is not exact. Due to the lack of research and publication of most of the underwater sites, approximate coordinates have been used, based on information provided by Parker (Citation1992), or established by the author according to the descriptions provided in other academic sources.
3 This does not mean that sculpture transport did not happen at other periods. See for example, the Late Bronze Age ‘Uluburun shipwreck’, off the coast of Türkiye (Pulak, Citation1998, p. 207) and post-Antique evidence for the maritime transport and underwater deposition of ancient sculptures of various types and dates during the medieval times and the period of the ‘Grand Tour’ (Johnson, Citation1925, p. 22; Arata, Citation2005, pp. 5–6, 148–149; Velentza, Citation2020).