By Roxani Margariti. Many years ago, as an archaeology student in the early 1990s, I had the amazing luck and privilege of participating in a project entitled Traditional Boats of Oman Project and headed by Indian Ocean boatbuilding specialist Tom Vosmer. Of the many remarkable things I witnessed during the two seasons of working for…… Continue reading Dogs, Boats, Shells, and Goats: Musings on the Decorations of the Musandam battil
Author: archivesofthesea
Pinna Goldilocks and the philosopher’s stone
By Dimitra Mylona. In the past, when people snorkeled in the Mediterranean, in its shallow protected coves, chances were that they would see colonies of noble pen shells among patches of emerald Poseidonia oceanica plants. These are large bivalve shellfish that stand erect, well-rooted in sandy or muddy seabeds. Today, this spectacle is rare and…… Continue reading Pinna Goldilocks and the philosopher’s stone
The pearls of others
By Roxani Margariti. There was much rejoicing last November in Atlanta, the great city of the new American South. The Atlanta Braves won the Super Bowl!! I must admit that I know shamefully little about this favorite American sport, but in the midst of the celebrations and related commentary I was thrilled to learn about…… Continue reading The pearls of others
Octopus the magnificent and its Aegean Bronze Age connections
By Dimitra Mylona. This post was born out of awe at a piece of kirie art, by Japanese artist Masayo Fukuda. Fukuda created a magnificent paper-cut octopus. It appears as if fashioned out of fine Belgian lace, yet it is made of a single piece of paper patiently cut to create the desired intricate effect.…… Continue reading Octopus the magnificent and its Aegean Bronze Age connections
Fish that swam on a plate: Fish plates of the Classical Mediterranean and the Black Sea
by Dimitra Mylona. Fish hold a fascination for people! They are part of all kinds of stories. We find them in fables, in mythology, in dream lore, in narratives of all kinds and in art. They seem to be relevant to all sorts of different social circumstances. These imaginary fish were born again and again…… Continue reading Fish that swam on a plate: Fish plates of the Classical Mediterranean and the Black Sea
Mermaids, mermen and other strange creatures on the blurred limits between terrestrial and marine life
By Dimitra Mylona and Roxani Margariti. “I must be a mermaid, Rango. I have no fear of depths and a great fear of shallow living” Anais Nin, The Four-Chambered Heart, 1950. They are not fish, they are not humans either… they are not of the land, but neither are they unequivocally creatures of the sea. They…… Continue reading Mermaids, mermen and other strange creatures on the blurred limits between terrestrial and marine life
The strange allure of ambergris and other whale wonders
By Roxani Margariti. Ambergris Vignettes. “When they catch sight of one [a dead whale filled with ambergris], they haul it ashore with iron grapnels attached to stout ropes, which stick into the whale’s back, in order to cut it open and extract the ambergris from it.” Abu Zayd al-Sirafi, Akhbar al-Sin wa’l-Hind (Accounts of China…… Continue reading The strange allure of ambergris and other whale wonders
Abalone of East Asia and Minoan Seashells: unexpected resonances
By Dimitra Mylona. Abalone flesh strips drying in the sun at a coastal location – “The abalone shell” 1821 by Katsushika Hokusai(https://collections.artsmia.org/art/62819/the-abalone-shell-katsushika-hokusai) Abalone is a name for the many members of a large family of marine molluscs, the Haliotidae. Haliotidae translates into “the ears of the sea,” a term alluding to their shape. They are…… Continue reading Abalone of East Asia and Minoan Seashells: unexpected resonances
Traveling and Fish Eating: From Archestratus to Ibn Battuta
By Dimitra Mylona and Roxani Margariti. We can’t travel far these days, but there’s still the travel shows, past and present (well, mostly past!) reminding us of the opportunities and delights travel offers. Food is a chief feature of the travel experience and of getting to know and appreciate other cultures. In pre-modern times travel…… Continue reading Traveling and Fish Eating: From Archestratus to Ibn Battuta