Seas have their own “archives” —
— material, discursive, archaeological, environmental, written, oral.
This blog started as a casual and joyful yet energetic and voluminous exchange of fish stories and other tales of and about the sea. We had a rich supply of them from our respective research. After a few months we found ourselves thinking in tandem: “surely others would be interested in and delighted by these stories about the sea as it once was!” and “we need to keep track of all this!” Then we decided to put a name on our banter and give it a home. Hence a blog curating the Archives of The Sea and inviting others to join us in an exploration of the sea that was!
Roxani Margariti and Dimitra Mylona study the life of maritime communities of the past and the extensive web of relations between people and the sea. Roxani is a historian and Dimitra is an archaeologist. Both have written academic books and articles on issues of fishing, marine industries, maritime commerce, boats and harbors, on the religiosity of mariners and coastal dwellers and also on the imaginary world of the sea. In this blog they share some of the fascinating stories they have encountered in their research.