Mateusz Polakowski | University of Southampton (original) (raw)
Book Reviews by Mateusz Polakowski
Papers by Mateusz Polakowski
Society for Historical Archaeology, 2017
Oxbow Books, Jul 1, 2021
The Battle of the Aegates Islands is significant as the naval engagement that ended the First Pun... more The Battle of the Aegates Islands is significant as the naval engagement that ended the First Punic War and the only ancient naval battle site that has been located in the archaeological record. The Egadi Islands survey is a collaboration between the Soprintendenza del Mare, RPM Nautical Foundation, and Global Underwater Explorers, surveying an area of 270 km2 with the main concentration of the battle spread over 4 km2 . This chapter provides an overview of the 2005-2019 maritime archaeological survey of the battle site, detailing the 23 bronze warship rams that have been found on site, along with helmets, swords, and cargo. The finds reveal cross-cultural interactions in the mid-3rd century BC, as well as the earliest assemblage of Roman and Carthaginian military equipment
Society for Historical Archaeology, 2015
Trinacria, 'An Island Outside Time'
International Journal of Nautical Archaeology
Trinacria, An Island Outside Time: International Archaeology in Sicily, 2021
Full text available from https://www.oxbowbooks.com/oxbow/trinacria-an-island-outside-time.html ... more Full text available from https://www.oxbowbooks.com/oxbow/trinacria-an-island-outside-time.html
The Battle of the Aegates Islands is significant as the naval engagement that ended the First Punic War and the only ancient naval battle site that has been located in the archaeological record. The Egadi Islands survey is a collaboration between the Soprintendenza del Mare, RPM Nautical Foundation and Global Underwater Explorers, surveying an area of 270 km 2 with the main concentration of the battle spread over 4 km 2. This chapter provides an overview of the 2005-2019 maritime archaeological survey of the battle site, detailing the 23 bronze warship rams that have been found on site, along with helmets, swords and cargo. The finds reveal cross-cultural interactions in the mid-3rd century BC, as well as the earliest assemblage of Roman and Carthaginian military equipment.
Thesis Chapters by Mateusz Polakowski
Oared warships dominated the Mediterranean from the Bronze Age down to the development of cannon.... more Oared warships dominated the Mediterranean from the Bronze Age down to the development of cannon. Purpose-built warships were specifically designed to withstand the stresses of ramming tactics and high intensity impacts. Propelled by the oars of skilled rowing crews, squadrons of these ships could work in unison to outmaneuver and attack enemy ships. In 241 B.C. off the northwestern coast of Sicily, a Roman fleet of fast ramming warships intercepted a Carthaginian warship convoy attempting to relieve Hamilcar Barca’s besieged troops atop Mount Eryx (modern day Erice). The ensuing naval battle led to the ultimate defeat of the Carthaginian forces and an end to the First Punic War (264–241 B.C.). Over the course of the past 12 years, the Egadi Islands Archaeological Site has been under investigation producing new insights into the warships that once patrolled the wine dark sea. The ongoing archaeological investigation has located Carthaginian helmets, hundreds of amphora, and 11 rams that sank during the course of the battle. This research uses the recovered Egadi 10 ram to attempt a conjectural reconstruction of a warship that took part in the battle. It analyzes historical accounts of naval engagements during the First Punic War in order to produce a narrative of warship innovation throughout the course of the war. It employs experimental three-dimensional reconstructions in the Rhinoceros and Orca 3D software based on archaeological evidence in order to determine basic hull dimensions and fundamental characteristics of the Egadi 10 warship’s design. Finally, it compares the resulting reconstruction to Polybius’ accounts of the warships that sank at the site.
Society for Historical Archaeology, 2017
Oxbow Books, Jul 1, 2021
The Battle of the Aegates Islands is significant as the naval engagement that ended the First Pun... more The Battle of the Aegates Islands is significant as the naval engagement that ended the First Punic War and the only ancient naval battle site that has been located in the archaeological record. The Egadi Islands survey is a collaboration between the Soprintendenza del Mare, RPM Nautical Foundation, and Global Underwater Explorers, surveying an area of 270 km2 with the main concentration of the battle spread over 4 km2 . This chapter provides an overview of the 2005-2019 maritime archaeological survey of the battle site, detailing the 23 bronze warship rams that have been found on site, along with helmets, swords, and cargo. The finds reveal cross-cultural interactions in the mid-3rd century BC, as well as the earliest assemblage of Roman and Carthaginian military equipment
Society for Historical Archaeology, 2015
Trinacria, 'An Island Outside Time'
International Journal of Nautical Archaeology
Trinacria, An Island Outside Time: International Archaeology in Sicily, 2021
Full text available from https://www.oxbowbooks.com/oxbow/trinacria-an-island-outside-time.html ... more Full text available from https://www.oxbowbooks.com/oxbow/trinacria-an-island-outside-time.html
The Battle of the Aegates Islands is significant as the naval engagement that ended the First Punic War and the only ancient naval battle site that has been located in the archaeological record. The Egadi Islands survey is a collaboration between the Soprintendenza del Mare, RPM Nautical Foundation and Global Underwater Explorers, surveying an area of 270 km 2 with the main concentration of the battle spread over 4 km 2. This chapter provides an overview of the 2005-2019 maritime archaeological survey of the battle site, detailing the 23 bronze warship rams that have been found on site, along with helmets, swords and cargo. The finds reveal cross-cultural interactions in the mid-3rd century BC, as well as the earliest assemblage of Roman and Carthaginian military equipment.
Oared warships dominated the Mediterranean from the Bronze Age down to the development of cannon.... more Oared warships dominated the Mediterranean from the Bronze Age down to the development of cannon. Purpose-built warships were specifically designed to withstand the stresses of ramming tactics and high intensity impacts. Propelled by the oars of skilled rowing crews, squadrons of these ships could work in unison to outmaneuver and attack enemy ships. In 241 B.C. off the northwestern coast of Sicily, a Roman fleet of fast ramming warships intercepted a Carthaginian warship convoy attempting to relieve Hamilcar Barca’s besieged troops atop Mount Eryx (modern day Erice). The ensuing naval battle led to the ultimate defeat of the Carthaginian forces and an end to the First Punic War (264–241 B.C.). Over the course of the past 12 years, the Egadi Islands Archaeological Site has been under investigation producing new insights into the warships that once patrolled the wine dark sea. The ongoing archaeological investigation has located Carthaginian helmets, hundreds of amphora, and 11 rams that sank during the course of the battle. This research uses the recovered Egadi 10 ram to attempt a conjectural reconstruction of a warship that took part in the battle. It analyzes historical accounts of naval engagements during the First Punic War in order to produce a narrative of warship innovation throughout the course of the war. It employs experimental three-dimensional reconstructions in the Rhinoceros and Orca 3D software based on archaeological evidence in order to determine basic hull dimensions and fundamental characteristics of the Egadi 10 warship’s design. Finally, it compares the resulting reconstruction to Polybius’ accounts of the warships that sank at the site.