Research at the RGZM Main Research Areas Mediterranean
Shipbuilding Traditions in Western, Middle and Southern Europe
In the course of the archaeological research conducted on the
Roman fleet and carried out in the research department for
Ancient Seafaring, one question repeatedly turned up regarding
the geographic limitation of technical peculiarities
(“shipbuilding traditions”) and their corresponding diffusion
(“technology transfer”). At the same time, it became apparent
that such questions can not be limited to one period and can
only be answered using various types of sources and a
geographically-widespread inventory of monuments. This was
achieved by through the gradual collection of archaeological
data (wrecks, ship iconography, etc.) as well as the
historically-relevant written evidence. The scientific
examination of ancient wrecks from the Mediterranean and the
Roman provinces as well as prehistoric finds from northern
Europe suggests technological, and more specifically,
constructive overlaps. Const