SOMA 2024: Proceedings of the 25th Symposium on Mediterranean Archaeology

The Roman Remains of South-West France is a richly illustrated guide to over 100 sites, detailing Roman cities, baths, villas, pottery kilns, and museums. It explores key features like terra sigillata production and Gallic resistance, offering historical insights and practical reasons to visit.

The SOMA 2024 conference explored navigation and its connections to Mediterranean cultural and material heritage, examining the region’s historical, cultural, and economic contexts. It emphasized innovative approaches to heritage conservation and interpretation, engaging disciplines such as art history, numismatics, and epigraphy.

Supported by the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia, the plenary sessions were held at the International Centre for Underwater Archaeology in Zadar (ICUA Zadar). The event was jointly organized by ICUA Zadar, the General Association for Mediterranean Archaeology (GAMA), the Department of Archaeology at the University of Zadar, the Museum of Ancient Glass in Zadar, and the Archaeological Museum Zadar. As part of the international SOMA conference series, the event continued the tradition of bringing together archaeologists from across the Mediterranean to exchange knowledge and promote the study, protection, and preservation of the region’s cultural heritage—building on previous meetings hosted in several European countries.

Legislation management and interpretation of cultural heritage

State management of underwater cultural heritage in Mediterranean waters: the case of the Mazarron 2 shipwreck – Paloma Sánchez Gómez and Rafael Sabio González

Last chance harbour – unveiling Lagos underwater heritage – Nuno Costa and Andreia Romão

Blue Culture Technology Excellence Hubs within the EU Blue Economy – Alexandra Camilleri, Fabio Bruno, Marco Cozza, Francesco Buffone, Umberto Severino, Alessandro Cozza, Felix Manfredi, Marino Mangeruga, Manuel Fortunato Drago, Asimina Dimara, Stelios Krinidis, Fabio Figurella, Massimo Pieri, Riccardo Pelliccia, Anastasia Fourkiotou, Nayden Prahov, Kiril Velkovsky, Debra Camilleri and Polyvios Raxis

Ports, harbours and anchorages

Ephesus: Reconstruction of the Harbour City of Ancient Rome in the East – Ahmet Denker and Hakan Oniz

Return to San Gottardo. Underwater archaeological research in the Grado Island waters – Massimo Capulli

Geomorphology and Geoarchaeology Changes for Kallias submerged Roman harbours site between Ras Abo Hashfa and Ras Alam El-Rum areas, NW coast of Egypt by R.S and GIS – Samah Moustafa Abo Zeid, Magdy Torab and Adel Elsadany

Port as a complex system of relationships: some preliminary notes on the Roman cases of Altium and Iulia Concordi – Elisabetta Rosatti

The underwater surveys by MPM project in Cyprus (Limassol) – Serafino Caggiano

Seafaring and navigation

Small but gold: the flourishing mariners of Chryssi island – Katerina Famprikatzi

A retrospection on cistern-boats and a potential reappraisal of their journeys – Thomas Iossifidis

Patron deities and sacred places of ancient seafarers in the Adriatic – Lucijana Šešelj

Shipwrecks

A Tripolitanian cargo in the Salento waters – Rita Auriemma

Tools and methods (excavation, documentation, conservation, restoration)

Two Upper Adriatic pottery skyphoi from the Vilina špilja shrine overlooking the source of the Ombla River: traces of ancient repair and modern intervention – Martina Ćurković Madiraca, Zdenka Vrgoč and Domagoj Perkić

The effects of the mediterranean climate over the southern sites of Ephesos Terrace House 2 and recommended conservation strategies – Ceren Gürçay Yılmaz, Berna Çağlar Eryurt and Bekir Eskici

Corrosion studies on WWI metallic ship Baron Gautsch and strategies to protect the shipwreck – Zdenka Vrgoč, Roko Surić and Ian D. MacLeod

Detecting, mapping and interpreting archaeological evidence in dynamic shallow-water environment: towards a systematic methodology – Giuseppe Avola, Livio Nardò, Sara Finale, Serafino Caggiano, Filippo Barthelemy and Tecla Zucchi

Maritime cultural landscapes

Paths in visible waterscapes: Milesia, Maeander Valley and Kuşadası bay during the Late Bronze Age – Nuray Nisan Köknar

Paleo-geomorphology of Pharos Island, Alexandria, Egypt by using geomorphological and submerged archaeological evidence – Magdy Torab

Monasteries, land and water viability: the case of Brescia’s territory – Carolina Simeoni

Fishing in troubled water? The Lesser Syrtis under East Roman rule (6th-7th century CE) – Tommaso Giuliodoro and Néhémie Strupler

Material culture and trade

Stages of purple dye processing and ancient laboratory facilities in the Eastern Mediterranean area – Sevasti Mouteveli

Religious life of ancient sailors in the eastern Adriatic, traces of religious ship rituals – Ivana Jadrić-Kučan

Pottery sequence of the Lake Van basin within the cultural and political framework of the highland of eastern Anatolia: from the Chalcolithic Period to the Late Iron Age (Achaemenid) – Aynur Özfırat

Tracing money in pre-Imperial period: sea routes in the Adriatic, a case study of northern Dalmatia – Mato Ilkić and Lucijana Šešelj

A group of glass vessels from the Van archaeology museum – Elif Hanar

The maritime circulation of ceramic roofing materials in the Western Mediterranean of Roman era – Caterina Tomizza

Mugs and beakers by the sea. Thin-Walled Pottery in Ionian-Adriatic area – Rita Auriemma and Carlo De Mitri

Exploring maritime trade: roman glass amphorae in the Mediterranean – Berislav Štefanac

African cooking ware from the 2021 underwater excavations at Fizine (Slovenia) – Danica Mitrova and Saša Koren

Terra, Mare, aut Fluvius: evaluating potential Roman stone trade routes leveraging geospatial models – Ines Ferjan

Numismatic finds from the antique period port at Barbir in Sukošan – Mladen Pešić and Mato Ilkić

Eastern Mediterranean amphora networks and maritime trade in Late Antiquity – Hikmet Kılınçoğlu and Lucia Novakova

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Legislation management and interpretation of cultural heritage

State management of underwater cultural heritage in Mediterranean waters: the case of the Mazarron 2 shipwreck – Paloma Sánchez Gómez and Rafael Sabio González

Last chance harbour – unveiling Lagos underwater heritage – Nuno Costa and Andreia Romão

Blue Culture Technology Excellence Hubs within the EU Blue Economy – Alexandra Camilleri, Fabio Bruno, Marco Cozza, Francesco Buffone, Umberto Severino, Alessandro Cozza, Felix Manfredi, Marino Mangeruga, Manuel Fortunato Drago, Asimina Dimara, Stelios Krinidis, Fabio Figurella, Massimo Pieri, Riccardo Pelliccia, Anastasia Fourkiotou, Nayden Prahov, Kiril Velkovsky, Debra Camilleri and Polyvios Raxis

Ports, harbours and anchorages

Ephesus: Reconstruction of the Harbour City of Ancient Rome in the East – Ahmet Denker and Hakan Oniz

Return to San Gottardo. Underwater archaeological research in the Grado Island waters – Massimo Capulli

Geomorphology and Geoarchaeology Changes for Kallias submerged Roman harbours site between Ras Abo Hashfa and Ras Alam El-Rum areas, NW coast of Egypt by R.S and GIS – Samah Moustafa Abo Zeid, Magdy Torab and Adel Elsadany

Port as a complex system of relationships: some preliminary notes on the Roman cases of Altium and Iulia Concordi – Elisabetta Rosatti

The underwater surveys by MPM project in Cyprus (Limassol) – Serafino Caggiano

Seafaring and navigation

Small but gold: the flourishing mariners of Chryssi island – Katerina Famprikatzi

A retrospection on cistern-boats and a potential reappraisal of their journeys – Thomas Iossifidis

Patron deities and sacred places of ancient seafarers in the Adriatic – Lucijana Šešelj

Shipwrecks

A Tripolitanian cargo in the Salento waters – Rita Auriemma

Tools and methods (excavation, documentation, conservation, restoration)

Two Upper Adriatic pottery skyphoi from the Vilina špilja shrine overlooking the source of the Ombla River: traces of ancient repair and modern intervention – Martina Ćurković Madiraca, Zdenka Vrgoč and Domagoj Perkić

The effects of the mediterranean climate over the southern sites of Ephesos Terrace House 2 and recommended conservation strategies – Ceren Gürçay Yılmaz, Berna Çağlar Eryurt and Bekir Eskici

Corrosion studies on WWI metallic ship Baron Gautsch and strategies to protect the shipwreck – Zdenka Vrgoč, Roko Surić and Ian D. MacLeod

Detecting, mapping and interpreting archaeological evidence in dynamic shallow-water environment: towards a systematic methodology – Giuseppe Avola, Livio Nardò, Sara Finale, Serafino Caggiano, Filippo Barthelemy and Tecla Zucchi

Maritime cultural landscapes

Paths in visible waterscapes: Milesia, Maeander Valley and Kuşadası bay during the Late Bronze Age – Nuray Nisan Köknar

Paleo-geomorphology of Pharos Island, Alexandria, Egypt by using geomorphological and submerged archaeological evidence – Magdy Torab

Monasteries, land and water viability: the case of Brescia’s territory – Carolina Simeoni

Fishing in troubled water? The Lesser Syrtis under East Roman rule (6th-7th century CE) – Tommaso Giuliodoro and Néhémie Strupler

Material culture and trade

Stages of purple dye processing and ancient laboratory facilities in the Eastern Mediterranean area – Sevasti Mouteveli

Religious life of ancient sailors in the eastern Adriatic, traces of religious ship rituals – Ivana Jadrić-Kučan

Pottery sequence of the Lake Van basin within the cultural and political framework of the highland of eastern Anatolia: from the Chalcolithic Period to the Late Iron Age (Achaemenid) – Aynur Özfırat

Tracing money in pre-Imperial period: sea routes in the Adriatic, a case study of northern Dalmatia – Mato Ilkić and Lucijana Šešelj

A group of glass vessels from the Van archaeology museum – Elif Hanar

The maritime circulation of ceramic roofing materials in the Western Mediterranean of Roman era – Caterina Tomizza

Mugs and beakers by the sea. Thin-Walled Pottery in Ionian-Adriatic area – Rita Auriemma and Carlo De Mitri

Exploring maritime trade: roman glass amphorae in the Mediterranean – Berislav Štefanac

African cooking ware from the 2021 underwater excavations at Fizine (Slovenia) – Danica Mitrova and Saša Koren

Terra, Mare, aut Fluvius: evaluating potential Roman stone trade routes leveraging geospatial models – Ines Ferjan

Numismatic finds from the antique period port at Barbir in Sukošan – Mladen Pešić and Mato Ilkić

Eastern Mediterranean amphora networks and maritime trade in Late Antiquity – Hikmet Kılınçoğlu and Lucia Novakova

• Edited by Mladen Pešić
• Edited by Luka Bratović
• Edited by Doris Kurtov