Hassan HajjAli- 24th Symposium on Mediterranean Archaeology (SOMA)

The Symposium on Mediterranean Archaeology (SOMA) hosted its 24th annual meeting from February 2-4, 2023, in Udine, Italy. a program of the UniTwin Underwater Archaeological Network, organized by the University of Udine with the assistance of GAMA and Akdeniz University. The Symposium’s main subject was “Ideas that traveled by sea.” as both underwater and on land, the Mediterranean Sea region is particularly rich in archaeological sites. The presentations dealt with the suggested themes of seafaring and navigation, material culture, ports and harbors, maritime cultural landscapes, tools, and methods to recreate the ancient trade in the Mediterranean and its maritime connectivity with the use of underwater or land archaeology. in addition to conventional concerns about archeological discoveries in various Mediterranean regions. Also, new techniques and public involvement were highlighted throughout the 2023 event when it came to managing, conserving, and interpreting cultural heritage related to maritime sites and landscapes.

This was the third event that HFF has sponsored for me, and I am very appreciative of their support. It was a wonderful opportunity to present my MA dissertation results in front of a wider public and get encouraging feedback on it. The participants of this event were brand-new to me; I hadn’t met them at my previous event, so it was a better opportunity to network and meet new people. In the Symposium, there were new topics that were new to me as a research area, like medical consulting during archaeological dives. Also, I had the opportunity to meet individuals involved with the project in Lebanon, and we spoke about a number of topics that could be helpful for future contributions. and with my presentation now, I am more capable of presenting in front of a huge audience and being more comfortable and confident, as well as giving the right answers to the questions. I particularly liked hearing from several of the students who attended the event that my work had inspired them and that they wanted to use some of my theories in their own research.