Publications & Papers
The Red Sea Journal
The institute is pleased to announce the creation of its journal for the study of the Red Sea and surrounding regions. The journal will be peer reviewed and published online beginning in 2018. We welcome submissions on the anthropological fields--anthropology, archaeology, and ethnography, as well as history as it pertains to the aforementioned disciplines.
For submission guidelines and style sheet click here.
The institute is pleased to announce the creation of its journal for the study of the Red Sea and surrounding regions. The journal will be peer reviewed and published online beginning in 2018. We welcome submissions on the anthropological fields--anthropology, archaeology, and ethnography, as well as history as it pertains to the aforementioned disciplines.
For submission guidelines and style sheet click here.
Select Publications by Institute Personnel
Below are a number of publications in various journals and venues by our officers and board members
Between Castrum and Medina: A Preliminary Note on Spatial Organisation and Urban Development in Medieval Aqaba.
By Kristoffer Damgaard
The results of archaeological field work conducted between the 23rd of January and the 6th of March 2008 at the Early Islamic site of Aylah, located in Aqaba in southern Jordan. The excavations were part of a larger international scientific venture known as the Islamic Aqaba Project (henceforth IAP), which was directed by Prof. Dr. Johnny De Meulemeester (University of Gent), and included an international staff from Belgium, France, Spain, Canada, Jordan and Denmark. The project grew out of the Belgian-British and later Belgian-French Aqaba Castle Project (ACP), whose groundbreaking work revealed that the castle site, and indeed Aqaba in general, had far more complex patterns of occupation than hitherto imagined, and that a reevaluation of the area’s settlement history was crucial. In order to establish a more comprehensive occupational framework, steps were taken to expand the scope of archaeological investigation to include the Early Islamic site of Aylah as well. These are the results of the first season of field work conducted here.
By Kristoffer Damgaard
The results of archaeological field work conducted between the 23rd of January and the 6th of March 2008 at the Early Islamic site of Aylah, located in Aqaba in southern Jordan. The excavations were part of a larger international scientific venture known as the Islamic Aqaba Project (henceforth IAP), which was directed by Prof. Dr. Johnny De Meulemeester (University of Gent), and included an international staff from Belgium, France, Spain, Canada, Jordan and Denmark. The project grew out of the Belgian-British and later Belgian-French Aqaba Castle Project (ACP), whose groundbreaking work revealed that the castle site, and indeed Aqaba in general, had far more complex patterns of occupation than hitherto imagined, and that a reevaluation of the area’s settlement history was crucial. In order to establish a more comprehensive occupational framework, steps were taken to expand the scope of archaeological investigation to include the Early Islamic site of Aylah as well. These are the results of the first season of field work conducted here.
| between_castrum_and_medina.pdf |
A Preliminary Report on a Coastal and Underwater Survey in the Area of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
By Ralph K. Pedersen
In March 2012, Philipps-Universität Marburg conducted a 12-day survey along a section of the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia reaching from Rabigh in the north to al-Shoaiba in the south. As the beginning of a five-year archaeological project, with the author as principal investigator, this preliminary venture sought to define the logistical situation and to discover any sites of archaeological importance that may exist within the zone. The survey included the search for and the examination of harbor sites, as well as shipwrecks. Sites of antiquity and the Early Islamic period were of particular interest. The results of the survey included the discovery of a harbor and a shipwreck of the late third or the fourth century that contained Roman amphoras, among other objects. This project was created by institute vice president Dr. Rupert Brandmeier.
| pedersen_a_preliminary_report_on_a__coastal_and_underwater_survey_in_the_area_of_jeddah,_saudi_arabia.pdf |
The Byzantine-Aksumite Period Shipwreck at Black Assarca Island, Eritrea.
By Ralph K. Pedersen
In 1997, the author conducted an excavation of a shipwreck of late antiquity off a desert island in the southern Red Sea. The wreck carried a cargo of amphoras of three types, all of the kind now called "Aqaba ware". The wreck is the oldest yet excavated in the Red Sea and has yielded new insights into seafaring and trade of the period.
| pedersen_the_byzantine-aksumite_period_shipwreck_at_black_assarca_island,_eritrea.pdf |
Under the Erythraean Sea: An Ancient Shipwreck in Eritrea.
By Ralph K. Pedersen
An article from the INA Quarterly about the shipwreck at Black Assarca Island.
| pedersen_under_the_erythraean_sea_an_ancient_shipwreck_in_eritrea_inaq.pdf |
A Palestinian Red Sea Port on the Egyptian Road to Arabia: Early Islamic Aqaba and its Many Hinterlands.
By Kristoffer Damgaard
This article argues that many forms of hinterland exist, and that it is possible to formulate an analytical methodology based on tiered levels. Examples could be 'political', in the sense of adminstrative affiliation and/or subordinance to centres of political power, economic, in regard to a site's position within relevant economic networks; or ethnoconceptual, that is pertaining to the perceived identities of a locality's occupants.
| a_palestinian_red_sea_port_on_the_egyptian_road_to_arabia.pdf |
Finding Fatimid Jordan: A Reinterpretation of Aylah's 'Fatimid Residence'.
By Kristoffer Damgaard
Fatimid rule in Bilad al-Sham is relatively well understood in regard to major events at important socio-political centres, however, ordinary life in its more peripheral parts remains poorly documented and only superficially examined. Southern Jordan, here defined as the area between the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba, is one such region. In the 10th century CE this area was known as al-Sharat. While military control over this area often depended on political circumstances elsewhere, it remained important as both a transit corridor between the Fatimid heartland in Egypt and the major urban centres of Syria-Palestine (e.g. Damascus, Ramlah or Jerusalem), but also as a productive agricultural region.3 Understanding the history of this region is thus highly desirable, as it on one hand will help illuminate the impact of Fatimid hegemony on local communities and, on the other, may assist in explaining the dynamics between Fatimid, Saljuq, Frankish and local political elites. Regrettably, relevant historical sources for Fatimid South Jordan prior to the first Crusader incursions around 1100 CE are scant, and this has led scholarship to perceive the region as culturally and economically secondary to Egypt and Palestine.
| finding_fatimid_jordan_a_reinterpretation_of_aylahs_fatimid_residence.pdf |
Conference & Workshop Papers
TWO SHIPWRECKS OF LATE ANTIQUITY IN THE VICINITY OF JEDDAH AND THE ILLUMINATION OF ARABIAN MARITIME
CONNECTIONS
Ralph K. Pedersen and Rupert A. Brandmeier
54th Seminar for Arabian Studies
Durham, UK, 11 July 2021
Abstract: In 2012 and 2013, Philipps University Marburg conducted two surveys for shipwrecks and harbors in the area of Jeddah. Concentrating on the Eliza Shoals west of Sharm Abhur, the team operated in conjunction with personnel from the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Heritage, our sponsor. Examination of theoretical sailing passages through and around the shoals resulted in the finding of two shipwrecks. The first of these contains ceramics dating to the Late Roman period and brings to light possible maritime connections between the central Arabian coast and the Roman world. At the same reef in the following year, another shipwreck was discovered containing pottery of apparent Mediterranean and Aqaban origin, with the major diagnostic piece being an Aqaba Amphora, which is found in mid-first millennium contexts around the Red Sea and beyond. This paper outlines how the findings illuminate previously unknown sea routes and seaborne commerce along the central Arabian coast, connections with Roman Egypt, Palestine, and Byzantine Aila, as well as illustrating the importance of the advancement of nautical archaeology in Saudi Arabia and the greater Red Sea region.
Biomolecular approaches to ivory trade and craftsmanship in Late Antiquity and Early Islam
Kristoffer Damgaard, with Ashley Coutu
Red Sea VIII: Coveted Treasure- The Economy of Natural Resources: Extraction, Processing and Trade
Warsaw, 4-7 July 2017
Abstract: This paper combines archaeological analysis with a range of archaeo- and biometric tech - niques in order to investigate the nature of us - age, as well as the biological and geographical origin of a small group of ivory artifacts recently discovered in the earliest exposed cultural depo - sitions at the Early Islamic (AD 650–1100) port of Aylah (Aqaba, Jordan). In addition to explain - ing the finds and the significance of their context for interpreting possible historical implications, the article uses a range of laboratory-based tech - niques to learn more about the morphological and biomolecular aspects of these artifacts. In combining traditional archaeological analysis with expert visual analysis and innovative bio - molecular testing, fresh perspectives are pro - vided that shed new light on the infrastructure and geographical scope of late antique and early medieval trade systems. Moreover, it informs us on the economic and commercial roles played by Red Sea ports in this period. And finally, it highlights the potential of analyzing calcified mammalian tissue (dentine) from sites in the re - gion to reveal new details and characteristics of historical Indian Ocean trade networks.
Roads of Arabia: new finds of Aqaba amphorae in the Red Sea
Rupert Brandmeier
The Arabian Red Sea Route Workshop, Warsaw, Poland. 3 July 2017
Abstract: This paper concerns a probable ship - wreck cargo of Aqaba amphorae, which was discovered during the second season of the survey project along the Saudi Arabian coast, initiated by nautical archaeolo - gists of Philipps-University Marburg and conducted in cooperation with members of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Heritage in autumn 2013. Nautical archaeology in Saudi Arabia is still in its infancy and to understand the challenges of archaeological research, the geographical and historical circumstances have to be taken into account, particularly the area between Jeddah and Al-Shu’aybah with its particular setting of shoals, sharms and coral reefs. Seafaring and sea trade was, according to the few ancient sources and modern research activities, a hazardous endeavor in antiquity. Transport containers like the Aqaba Amphorae played a major role in sea trade, a significant number of which have been detected on various sites along the Red Sea coast and its hinterland. The chronological classification as well as the application is far from complete, and re - cent archaeometrical investigations help to clarify the logistical aspects of manufacturing and distribution of Aqaba amphorae. Finding a number of remains of Aqa - ba amphorae at a supposed shipwreck site close to Jed - dah delivers new insight into the maritime routes and activities along the western coast of Saudi Arabia. The documentary material currently available is the baseline for further research in the field of maritime archaeology as it pertains to trade in the Red Sea.
“Wither sailest thou?” Red Sea originations and destinations through the lens of ship technology
Ralph K. Pedersen
The Arabian Red Sea Route Workshop, Warsaw, Poland. 3 July 2017
Abstract: The Red Sea is a deep rift between Africa and Asia, yet as an aquatic “highway” it links Europe to the Indian Ocean world. While the existence of Greco-Roman trade down the Red Sea to the wider eastern world is relatively well known, we are still investigating the harbors and destination points along the shores of the Red Sea. Understanding the geographical, and indeed geological, aspect of the sea is a key factor in the finding of ancient harbors and anchorages. Coupled with this is the need to discern the technology of the maritime tools — navigation, ship - building technology, sailing practices — of the various eras and cultures of the Red Sea. This paper explores these aspects through the growing body of evidence and theory of Red Sea maritime endeavors, as well as by the author’s own archaeological investigations in Eritrea and Saudi Arabia.
Nautical Archaeology Surveys Near Jeddah: 2012-2013
Ralph K. Pedersen
Red Sea Conference VII, Procida, Italy, May 2015
Abstract: This paper recaps and updates the results of the 2012 survey by Philipps-University Marburg as reported on at the Red Sea VI conference in Tabuk, and presents findings from the ensuing 2013 survey. The shipwrecks found by the investigators are discussed in light of the cultural and seafaring milieu of the late antique/early Islamic periods. Connections are drawn to the shipwreck at Black Assarca Island, Eritrea and to finds of Aqaba ware around the Erythraean littoral and into the Indian Ocean region. The potential for further investigations under the sea is also discussed. For publication in the conference proceedings.
Nabataean Seafaring and the Search for Shipwrecks in the Red Sea
Ralph K. Pedersen and Rupert A. Brandmeier
The Second Conference on Nabataean Culture, Provo, Utah, USA, May 2015
Published in: Studies on the Nabataean Culture II. Nabil I Khairy, editor.
Published by the Deanship of Scientific Research, The University of Jordan-Amman (2016), pp. 11-24.
Abstract: Seafaring by the Nabataeans is virtually an archaeological unknown: Indeed, in the corpus of Nabataean studies the issue is not widely addressed. The inhabitants of what is now northwestern Saudi Arabia and southern Jordan are mostly known for their rock-carved buildings and tombs, at least in popular venues. Ancient authors noted, however, that Nabataeans plied the waters of the Red Sea as traders or pirates, maintaining their major port at Leuke Kome, whose location remains undiscovered. Several harbors containing Nabataean aspects have been located along the Saudi coast through archaeological investigation, yet the study of the maritime aspects and accomplishments of the Nabataeans remains in its infancy. Nautical Archaeology in the Red Sea is also in its early stages, but research has begun to reveal the ships of antiquity and the cargoes they carried. This paper outlines the archaeological researches of shipwrecks in the Red Sea, and examines the potential of finding the remains of Nabataean sea craft on the sea lanes reaching from Aqaba to points along the Red Sea littorals.
| nabataean_seafaring_and_the_search_for_s.pdf |
Shipwreck Archaeology in the Red Sea, and the Potential for Exploration along the East African Littoral
Ralph K. Pedersen
The conference "Exploring China’s Ancient Links to Africa." Addis Ababa, October 29-31, 2014.
Abstract: The archaeology of ships in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean lags behind other areas of the world. Relatively few shipwrecks there have been archaeologically investigated, and only one Red Sea wreck from the era before Islam has been excavated. This paper discusses the author’s shipwreck excavation at Black Assarca Island, Eritrea, as well as recent surveys and discoveries in Saudi Arabia. Based on these studies, the potential for similar archaeological endeavors--including possible methodologies and survey areas--along the East African coast of the Indian Ocean is outlined. To be published in the conference proceedings.
Timbers used in traditional boatbuilding in Saudi Arabia
Lucy Semaan
Red Sea Conference VII, Procida, Italy, May 2015
Abstract: The present paper summarizes the question of the use of wood in boatbuilding in Saudi Arabia from classical antiquity until present times. It draws on primary sources and archaeological evidence from the Graeco-Roman period and the medieval Islamic period. In doing so, it sheds the light on the timber trade and the timber exploitation processes in the past; and how these were interlinked with the geopolitics and socio-economics of the time. Not only did Saudi Arabia import wood from the Mediterranean, East Africa, and South Asia; but it also benefited from its local wood resources for boatbuilding.
This paper stresses that little attention has been given to the exploitation of local woods in favour of a greater reliance on Indian timber, especially teak. Thus, it suggests the need to consider other timber species which were equally suitable for shipwrightry, as well as other western Indian Ocean wood providers.
This study has also drawn on ethnographic research in Jizan and the Farasan Archipelago in Saudi Arabia. The ethnographic enquiry focused on vernacular names of timbers, the timber exploitation processes, and the variables that come at play in the metamorphosis of a tree into a boat part. Finally, by interlinking diverse pathways of enquiry drawing on primary sources, archaeology and ethnography, this paper aims to contribute to the field of maritime culture and maritime archaeology a deeper understanding of wooden boatbuilding in the Red Sea.
Online Publications
Echoes of Nabataean Seafaring
Ralph K .Pedersen
The Ancient Near East Today
February 2018
Vol. VI, no. 2.
http://www.asor.org/anetoday/2018/02/Echoes-Nabataean-Seafaring
When one thinks of the Nabataeans, the desert comes to mind, with wind-blown sands, the red rock-cut architecture of their capital of Petra, and trade routes carrying incense from Arabia to the Mediterranean. There is, however, another aspect of the Nabataeans, one that is only now coming into focus: Seafaring.
The land of the Nabataeans not only included the Jordanian desert but the coast of the Red Sea, reaching southward from Aqaba and down into the northwestern coast of what is now Saudi Arabia. These coasts, mostly barren but containing harbors and access to water, were links to inland trade routes and formed the maritime nexus between Nabataea and the greater world.
Books & Edited Volumes
Ralph K. Pedersen, Editor
On Sea and Ocean: New Research in Phoenician Seafaring. The Proceedings of the Symposium Held in Marburg, June 23-25 2011 at Archäologisches Seminar, Philipps-Universität Marburg. Marburger Beiträge zur Archäologie Band 2. 2015.
