A Neoria on the French Riviera: The Beginnings of Experimental Maritime Archaeology on the Coast of Southern France

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Port of Call: Archaeologies of Labor and Movement through Ports", at the 2023 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Two associations of academics, craftsmen, and enthusiasts determined to progress in experimental archaeology and research methods are reproducing a Hellenistic-Greek city near the coastal colony of Massalia (Marseille). The reconstruction will include sports, religious, civil, and cultural buildings with architectural elements found in Hellenistic sites throughout the Provence region. One of the largest projects will be the Hellenistic-period shipshed (neoria) and warships using Hellenistic construction methods and coeval materials. Primarily storage facilities for wintering warships, wider neoria in military ports also served as places for building and repairing ships, and were outfitted with platforms that facilitated the free movement of workers on the sites. Construction of the neoria will take place first, followed by a replica of a small Horeia-type vessel (excavated in nearby Toulon) with the aim of perfecting archaeo-experimentation techniques before undertaking construction of larger Hellenistic warships, such as those found in recently in Crimea and in Egypt.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2023   •
• Port of Call: Archaeologies of Labor and Movement through Ports

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow