The fourth Maritime Archaeology Graduate Symposium (MAGS) was held for the first time by Aix-Marseille University (AMU), France, between the 25th-26th of November 2021, in a hybrid format at the Maison Méditerranéenne des Sciences de l’Homme (MMSH). MAGS 2021 was organized by HFF scholars from Aix-Marseille University and the MoMArch team (Master of Maritime and Coastal Archaeology – AMU). The symposium was supported by the Foundation and the Institute of Mediterranean Archaeology – ARKAIA.

Papers and posters presented ranged from shipbuilding, fishing activity in antiquity, ceramic studies to harbour archaeology, geoarchaeology, and underwater cultural heritage management. The Mediterranean, the Black Sea, the Atlantic Ocean, the Red Sea, the North Sea, as well as rivers in Europe were included in the discussion. Nine MAGS speakers have published their work with the generous support of the Honor Frost Foundation through the ‘Short Report’ series. 

• Yomna OSMAN- Concentrates evidence on fishing boats in the Islamic era in Egypt, a subject little addressed in the bibliography.
• Aya HEMLY- Discusses the material remains of shipyards by studying ancient and modern shipyards in Egypt.
• Judith Gatt- Explores on a preliminary level the Classical and Hellenistic construction techniques of the harbour structures of the island of Cyprus.
• Lucas BONJOUR, Myriam STERNBERG, and Élisabeth VEYRAT- Present the study of cod bones found in large quantities on one of the wrecks in St-Vaast-La Hougue bay dating to the 17th century (Manche county, France).
• Etienne COURNE- Presents the preliminary results of a research programme of the Albanian-French archaeological mission at the Lower Valley of Drin, north Albania, in the city of Sardë-Shurdhah, located in the Vau i Dejës reservoir, which aims in documenting and developing a methodology adapted to a dam context.
• Mark DAVIES- Proposes an approach to target investigations of ancient Greek sea battles of the Classical period with similar conditions, where remains could be found. 
• Aurelien LACROIX- Presents the development of the Belgian part of the Sambre River by considering river crossings.
• Cristina GONZALEZ-ESTEBAN- Proposes a repeatable methodology for creating detailed virtual reconstructions where the model is a scientific container of the reconstruction information.
• Daisy TURNBULL- Discusses the remains of a ceramic assemblage associated with the cargo of a Late Roman trading vessel, discovered by the Black Sea Maritime Archaeology Project (BSMAP) in 2017.

We would like to sincerely thank Dr. Lucy Blue, Duncan Howitt-Marshal, and Danielle Newman for editing and reviewing all articles as well as Associate Professor Kalliopi Baika and Professor Jean Christophe Sourisseau for their endless support from the very beginning of this symposium.

– Jafar Anbar, Judith Gatt, Labrini Tsitsou