Exploring Movement on Water: A Global Comparison of Naval Technology and Navigation Techniques

Exploring the links between the expertise that has allowed people to move across water bodies—the sea, rivers, and lakes—and the lives of seafarers has taken a digital turn over the past several years. Increasingly, archaeologists are looking for ways to digitally recreate vessels using 3D visualizations and discuss navigation by reconstructing past environments or through least-cost pathway analyses and agent-based modeling. In many ways, these analyses bridge the gap between island and mainland communities but also among technologies, individuals, and the broader world. This session crosses the geographic divide between sailing and canoeing communities by inviting researchers who study water travel from various regions to share their interpretations of these different toolkits. Focusing on the specifics of studying aquatic mobility facilitates a clear discussion on what techniques were central to these modes of movement in the past and how these techniques influenced colonization efforts but also the construction and maintenance of social networks. Computer-based models can explore answers to these questions that are otherwise unapproachable due to poor preservation and the fluid nature of these environments. Papers in this session will consider navigation, investigate seafaring technology, or use computer methods to understand water-based travel.