book cover

H 276 x W 203 mm

194 pages

63 figures, 4 tables (colour trhoughout)

Published Dec 2026

Archaeopress Archaeology

ISBN

Paperback: 9781805832737

Digital: 9781805832744

DOI 10.32028/9781805832737

Recommend to a librarian

Keywords
Maritime Archaeology; Underwater Archaeology; Ancient Harbours; Ancient Shipping; Hellenistic; Mediterranean

Related titles

Sailing from Polis to Empire 2

Harbours, Ships, and the Western Connection in the Hellenistic Mediterranean

Edited by Emmanuel Nantet

Paperback
£40.00

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This volume explores ships, harbours and maritime connectivity in the Hellenistic Mediterranean. Through a series of case studies, it examines how seafaring linked the western and eastern Mediterranean, offering new perspectives on trade, transport and maritime networks during an understudied period of ancient history.

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Contents

List of Figures and Tables

Acknowledgements

In Memoriam: Ruthy Gertwagen (1952–2022) – Jeannine Horowitz

List of authors

 

Introduction

1. Hellenistic Ships and Harbours: Recent Discoveries and Current Challenges for a Maritime History – Emmanuel Nantet

 

Part I: Harbour Depths and Ship Sizes: Environmental Concerns and Connectivity

2. The Size, Depth, and Capacity of the Hellenistic Harbours of the Aegean: Delos, Thasos, and Piraeus as Case Studies – Ioannis Nakas

3. Against the Currents: Some examples of the Resilience of Hellenistic Harbours in Response to Environmental Stress – Chiara Maria Mauro

4. Hellenistic Akko in Perspective: Towards a Contextualization of Ancient Maritime Hubs – Paula Rut Zajac

5. Cyrenaica and the Hellenistic Mediterranean: Harbours and Maritime Connectivity in the Libyan Sea – François Chevrollier

 

Part II: Ships and Maritime Technology

6. The Hellenistic Apollonia 1 Shipwreck, Libya: New Insights and A Reappraisal – Luc Long

7. Understanding the Spring-Back Phenomenon in Wood and its Effect on Ship Strength – Moshe Bram and Yoav Me-Bar

8. The Attalid Navy of Pergamon: Origin, its Ships, and Military Ports – Guy Christian Messaii

 

Part III: Maritime Connectivity and the Western Mediterranean

9. Connecting Syracuse with the East: Contrasting Sea Routes for Ancient Warships and Merchantmen – Pascal Warnking

10. The Maritime Transport of Sculptures in the Mediterranean during the Hellenistic Period (4th to 1st centuries BCE) – Katerina Velentza

11. Statues tirées des eaux et autres fortunes de mer – Martin Galinier

 

Conclusive Thoughts

12. The Ship: The Unsung Hero of Maritime History – Emmanuel Nantet

About the Author

Emmanuel Nantet is a historian and maritime archaeologist at the University of Haifa, affiliated with the Department of Maritime Civilizations and the Leon Recanati Institute for Maritime Studies. His research focuses on ancient navigation, maritime trade, and harbour archaeology. He is the author of Phortia. Le tonnage des navires de commerce en Méditerranée du VIIIe siècle av. l’ère chrétienne au VIIe siècle de l’ère chrétienne (2016). He has directed terrestrial and underwater archaeological excavations in France, Israel, and Italy. He currently leads SHIPs, a European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator Grant project investigating Roman harbours in the Mediterranean.