Nautical Graffiti from the Torre de Rame (Los Alcázares): Probable Evidence of Ottoman-Berber Harassment Along the Coasts of the Former Kingdom of Murcia (Spain)

ABSTRACT

The discovery of historical graffiti in the Torre de Rame, a 17th-century watchtower built in Los Alcázares (Region of Murcia, Spain), has led to the study of a valuable and large set of nautical graffiti. The analysis of these representations, together with that of the tower, reveals that they represent vessels that crossed the Mediterranean Sea at a time when there was confrontation between Ottoman-Berber pirates and Corsairs and the Christian kingdoms. This, together with other evidence, suggests that the authors of these motifs engraved on the walls were sailors who were part of this tragic struggle.

RESUMEN

El descubrimiento de grafitos históricos en la Torre de Rame, una torre vigía del siglo XVII construída en Los Alcázares (Región de Murcia, España), ha permitido el estudio de un conjunto amplio y valioso de grafitos náuticos. El análisis de estas representaciones, junto con aquellas de la torre, revela que representan embarcaciones que cruzaban el Mediterráneo en una época de enfrentamiento entre piratas y corsarios otomano-berberiscos y los reinos cristianos. Esto, junto con otra evidencia, sugiere que los autores de estos motivos grabados en los muros eran marineros que formaron parte de esta trágica lucha.

摘要

在西班牙穆尔西亚地区洛斯阿尔卡萨雷斯17世纪建造的瞭望塔拉梅塔中发现的历史涂鸦促成了对大量珍贵航海画的研究。通过对以上这些涂鸦与瞭望塔涂鸦的分析，我们发现这些图像代表的是当时穿越地中海的船只遇到奥斯曼-柏柏尔海盗船队及其海盗与基督教王国对抗的情景。这与其他证据共同表明，镌刻这些墙壁上图案的作者是参与这场悲惨斗争的水手。`

摘要

在西班牙穆爾西亞地區洛斯阿爾卡薩雷斯17世紀建造的瞭望塔拉梅塔中發現的歷史塗鴉促成了對大量珍貴航海畫的研究。通過對以上這些塗鴉與瞭望塔塗鴉的分析，我們發現這些圖像代表的是當時穿越地中海的船只遇到奧斯曼-柏柏爾海盜船隊及其海盜與基督教王國對抗的情景。這與其他證據共同表明，鐫刻這些墻壁上圖案的作者是參與這場悲慘鬥爭的水手。

المُستخلص

أدى اكتشاف الكتابة التاريخية على جدران بُرج رام إلى دراسة مجموعة قيمة وضخمة من الكتابات البحرية و كان بُرج رام عبارة عن بُرج مراقبة من القرن السابع عشر وقد تم بناؤه في لوس الكازاريس (منطقة مورسيا، إسبانيا). ويكشف التحليل الذي تم لهذه الكتابات إلي أنها تمثل سُفناً كانت قد عَبرت البحر الأبيض المتوسط ⁣⁣في وقت كانت هناك مواجهة بين القرصنة العثمانية البربرية والقراصنة والممالك المسيحية. ويقترح هذا إلى جانب أدلة أخرى إلى أن مؤلفي هذه الزخارف المحفورة على الجدران كانوا بحارة وجزءاً من هذا الصراع المأساوي

KEYWORDS:

• Nautical graffiti
• ships
• Ottoman-Berber Corsairs and pirates
• Torre de Rame
• Kingdom of Murcia
• Mediterranean Sea

PALABRAS CLAVE:

• grafitos náuticos
• barcos
• corsarios y piratas otomano-berberiscos
• Torre de Rame
• Reino de Murcia
• mar Mediterráneo

关键词:

• 航海画
• 船只
• 奥斯曼-柏柏尔海盗船队及其海盗
• 拉梅塔
• 穆尔西亚王国
• 地中海

關鍵詞:

• 航海畫
• 船只
• 奧斯曼-柏柏爾海盜船隊及其海盜
• 拉梅塔
• 穆爾西亞王國
• 地中海

الكلمات الدلالیة:

• كتابات بحرية على الجدران
• سُفن
• القرصنة العثمانية البربرية والقراصنة
• بُرج رام
• مملكة مورسيا
• البحر الأبيض المتوسط

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Los Alcázares Eco Cultural Association (LAEC) for the technical and human support in preparing this project, an association without whose heritage awareness this would not have been possible. In addition, we are grateful for the valuable comments made by the specialists who reviewed the document for publication, as well as those of the editor of IJNA.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Author Contributions

Gregorio Rabal Saura and Gregorio Castejón Porcel are co-authors of this work making a joint contribution to it. The work of the former has focused mainly on the study of the building and the history related to it, while the latter has focused on the analysis of the graffiti.

Financing

Part of the technical work carried out in this study has been financed by Los Alcázares Eco Cultural Association (LAEC) and by the owner of the tower.

Permission Statement

The Torre de Rame is a building protected since 2006 by the General Directorate of Cultural Assets of the Region of Murcia (Spain) with the category of Asset of Cultural Interest (Bien de Interés Cultural, BIC); as a result, an archaeological intervention permit from the General Directorate was received to carry out the study. The inclusion of the engravings of ships made by Antonio Vidal Máiquez has been authorized by the artist, who made them expressly for this study. The rest of the material is the work of the authors.

Notes

1 It has been decided to use the ‘nautical’ term to encompass all types of ships, regardless of their purpose, since many of the those identified were used both for war and for trade. However, most of these representations could be delimited within the so-called naval graffiti, because they seem to represent military vessels belonging to the navies of the different warring states.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Los Alcázares Eco Cultural Association (LAEC): [Grant Number EXP. 9427/2019 AND 6685/2021. Collaboration agreements with LAEC].