Judith Gatt – 2019-2021 – University of Aix-Marseille MA Scholar.
Having been accepted in 2019 in the Master of Maritime and Coastal Archaeology (MoMArch) of Aix-Marseille with the support of the Honor Frost foundation, I pursued my studies in Maritime archaeology. The two-year programme was completed with success in June 2021. Throughout the two years a series of modules were followed ranging from harbour archaeology and geoarchaeology, naval architecture, ancient commerce, deep water archaeology and legislation concerning submerged cultural heritage in Europe. A series of weekly lectures offered by invited professors were also followed. These led undoubtably in broadening my horizon and accumulating knowledge on a variety of subjects.
The subject of the Master 2 dissertation was the Classical and Hellenistic construction techniques of the harbourworks of Cyprus in comparison with those of the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean. The title of the dissertation is ‘Passive imitators or innovators? Revisiting the classical and Hellenistic harbour construction techniques of the island of Cyprus through a comparative analysis with harbourworks in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean’.
The two-year programme also contributed in obtaining hands-on experience by participating in dissemination activities for children and underwater excavations (see excavation blog) in France in collaboration with the DRASSM (Département des Recherches Archéologiques Sub-aquatiques et Sous-marines) of the French Ministry of Culture and IpsoFacto. All the above, contributed highly in obtaining new practical and communication skills that will be of use in the future.
Parallel to that, it was possible to participate in two online conferences, PoCA and MARES in October and November 2020. I was also given the opportunity to participate in the MAREBOX project supported by Savvy Contemporary and 3D research. In the framework of this project an artistic installation with the artist Miriam Gatt will be soon exhibited in Berlin concerning issues that maritime archaeologist face in documenting and interpreting wrecks. In addition, I participated with colleagues from Aix-Marseille in the Blue Research and Innovations Days Hackathon 2021 challenge, winning the third place. Finally, I have been working as an archaeologist since February 2021 in the project titled : Relative Sea-Level changes during Middle and Upper Holocene (6000 BP-today) as determined by an investigation of beachrock formations and their impact on archaeological sites along the south coastline of Cyprus. This project is directed by Dr. Miltiadis Polidorou and supported by the Honor Frost Foundation.
During the past summer I was able to participate in surveys and excavations (terrestrial and underwater) in Cyprus as also I began a podcast series in Greek titled O Mare in collaboration with Skalifourta Cyprus where I discuss different subjects concerning the sea and maritime archaeology.
