Wes Forsythe | University of Ulster (original) (raw)

Papers by Wes Forsythe

Journal of Maritime Archaeology, 2023

The generation of boat and ship imagery in the form of graffiti has long precedents international... more The generation of boat and ship imagery in the form of graffiti has long precedents internationally. Such imagery carries with it a range of context-dependant associations and meanings. This paper presents a collection of previously undescribed graffiti from the north coast of Ireland which demonstrates features and behaviours which parallel those witnessed in a wide range of chronological situations elsewhere, while retaining contextspecific resonances. The twelve graffiti depict a variety of eighteenth-nineteenth century sailing craft and one anchor. In addition, a series of names or initials provide a sense not only of authorship and identification with maritime communities but also the performative and thereby provocative nature of graffiti. This paper argues that the wider socioeconomic changes taking place within these coastal communities provides a basis for understanding the resonance of such imagery across this period.

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Heritage, 2023

Communities of the East African coast have had a long history of international interaction. Swahi... more Communities of the East African coast have had a long history of international interaction. Swahili maritime networks linked African port towns across the Indian Ocean seaboard, thus enabling merchandise to reach the hinterlands of the continent. One of these Swahili towns is the ancient city of Gedi, located on the central Kenyan coast near the medieval town of Malindi. Located inshore, 6 km from the main ocean to the southeast and 3 km from Mida Creek to the southwest, Gedi's lack of seaward connectivity has perplexed scholars. To effectively function within the vibrant Indian Ocean maritime trade networks of the 10th to 16th centuries CE, Gedi needed access to the sea. Inevitably goods had to be transported overland from a port or landing place. The 'MUCH to Discover in Mida Creek' project carried out an archaeological survey around the Creek to form a broader understanding of the region's maritime past. The study identified a range of sites that evidence past coastal activity. In particular, a concentration of contemporary house sites at Chafisi near the closest point on the Creek to Gedi would suggest it may have acted as an outport for the stone town.

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Journal of Archaeological Science, 2007

... Mombasa serves as a gateway port to the interior, serving Uganda, Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and ... more ... Mombasa serves as a gateway port to the interior, serving Uganda, Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and to some extent southern Sudan, Somalia and southern Ethiopia. ... 1), is regarded as a dynamic region of maritime cultural activity (Breen and Lane, 2003). ...

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Antiquity, 2001

In January 2001, a team of researchers from the University of Ulster (Northern Ireland) conducted... more In January 2001, a team of researchers from the University of Ulster (Northern Ireland) conducted an innovative maritime archaeology project on the East African coast in partnership with the British Institute in Eastern Africa and the National Museums of Kenya. Its focus was Mombasa Island on the southern Kenyan coast, a historical settlement and port for nearly 2000 years (Berg 1968; Sassoon 1980; 1982). The East African seaboard, stretching from Somalia in the north to Madagascar and Mozambique in the south, was culturally dynamic throughout the historical period. This area, traditionally known as the Swahili coast, is culturally defined as a maritime zone extending 2000 km from north to south, but reaching a mere 15 hi inland. The origins of ‘Swahili’ cultural identity originated during the middle of the 1st millennium AD, following consolidation of earlier farming and metalusing Bantu-speaking communities along the coast and emergence of a distinctive ‘maritime’ orientation and ...

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... Boats and Shipwrecks of Ireland. ... Breen, Colin and Forsythe, Wes (2004) Boats andShipwreck... more ... Boats and Shipwrecks of Ireland. ... Breen, Colin and Forsythe, Wes (2004) Boats andShipwrecks of Ireland. Tempus. 192 pp ISBN 0 7524 3122 6. Full text not available from this repository. Item Type: Book (authored). Faculties ...

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‘Ottoman Suakin 1541 – 1865: Lost & Found,’ in A. Peacock, ed., The Frontiers of the Ottoman World. (Proceedings of the British Academy 156, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009) 469-492., 2009

THE ISLAND TOWN OF SUAKIN (Ott. Sevvakin) was one of the major Red Sea ports and, for a short per... more THE ISLAND TOWN OF SUAKIN (Ott. Sevvakin) was one of the major Red Sea ports and, for a short period, the capital of the Ottoman eyalet of Habeş (see Figure 24.1). 1 It lies 60 kilometres south of present-day Port Sudan, and has recently been the subject of a Sudanese-British collaborative archaeological project focusing on three main areas of research: archaeological study of the development of the settlement, architectural study of the ruins, and the future protection of the place as a cultural site. 2 This chapter summarises the aspects of the project reflecting Suakin's Ottoman history. The port long had significance as a focus for trade situated at the frontier of the Ottoman and Funj territories. During this period, many of its more famous buildings were constructed. Tragically, most have vanished under the rubble of Suakin's collapse since the site was abandoned in 1922. Thanks to the large photographic record and the excellent studies of J.-P. Greenlaw 3 and F. W. Hinkel 4 some of these buildings remain well known and the memory of Suakin as a place of cultural importance has survived.

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Antiquity, 2001

In January 2001, a team of researchers from the University of Ulster (Northern Ireland) conducted... more In January 2001, a team of researchers from the University of Ulster (Northern Ireland) conducted an innovative maritime archaeology project on the East African coast in partnership with the British Institute in Eastern Africa and the National Museums of Kenya. ...

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International Journal of Nautical Archaeology, 2011

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The Frontiers of the Ottoman World, 2009

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Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa, 2011

... Masonry construction is noted early in the century, while the Beit el Basha itself was constr... more ... Masonry construction is noted early in the century, while the Beit el Basha itself was constructed in the middle part of the sixteenth ... General of the National Corporation of Antiquities and Museums (NCAM) of Sudan for his support and to Dr Salah Mohammed Ahmed, Khali.

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Journal of Archaeological Science

Mombasa Island, settled for almost 2000 years, played a central role in the development of the ce... more Mombasa Island, settled for almost 2000 years, played a central role in the development of the central seaboard of East Africa, emerging by the 16th century as a centre of sustained port dominance. Marine geoarchaeological surveys were conducted in Mombasa Harbour in 2001 (i) to quantify the nature and extent of the submerged archaeological resource, (ii) to investigate site formation and preservation potential of historic shipwrecks, and (iii) to explore the natural evolution of the Old Port and adjacent basins in the context of hydrodynamic and sedimentary processes. Backscatter and single-beam echo-sounder data were acquired, interpreted and diver-truthed using surface-demand and SCUBA systems. It is proposed that sustained scour processes, resultant from the interaction of ebb and flood tidal currents with bedrock ridges, control the bathymetric evolution of Mombasa Harbour, negating requirement for mechanical dredging. The submerged archaeological resource in the area comprises...

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Journal of the Conservation and Management of Archaeological Sites , 2015

For much of the second millennium ce Suakin was one of the most important port cities in the upp... more For much of the second millennium ce Suakin was one of the most important
port cities in the upper Red Sea region. Effectively abandoned in the
late 1920s, the historic core of the urban centre has deteriorated to such an
extent that it now consists of little more than a pile of rubble. How, then,
does a heritage professional approach the future management or development
of a site like this? A range of options are presented here in an attempt
to generate a more informed and engaged approach to the site’s future.
Underpinning this research is an assumption that heritage conservation is
an integral part of civil society and that conservation both contributes to the
nature of, and in turn is shaped by, the needs and forces of that society.

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Journal of Maritime Archaeology , 2015

Fish traps are one of the most widespread and enduring features of the maritime landscape. Recen... more Fish traps are one of the most widespread and enduring features of the maritime
landscape. Recent research in Ireland has identified a great number of traps, most of which
date from the early to late medieval periods. This paper presents the findings of a recent
survey of Lough Swilly in north-western Ireland where a series of fish traps offers new
insights into the survival, diversity and role of these sites in the post-medieval period.

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International Journal of Historical Archaeology , 2015

This article examines the historical architecture and elite palace sites of the nineteenth-centu... more This article examines the historical architecture and elite palace sites of the
nineteenth-century Sultanate of Zanzibar. Archaeological coastal survey and historical
research is used to discuss the way in which these built structures demonstrate the
changing forces of mercantile control in the Western Indian Ocean. On moving his
court to Zanzibar from Oman in 1828, Seyyid Said bin Sultan set about consolidating
his authority. This consolidation and subsequent demise is reflected, it is argued, in the
structural remains along Zanzibar’s western coast.

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International Journal of Historical Archaeology, 2013

This paper examines the impact and evidence of Improvement thinking on domestic and social sphere... more This paper examines the impact and evidence of Improvement thinking on domestic and social spheres. Taking the example of Ireland it examines the origin and development of improving strategies and methodologies from the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries, in particular the widening application of reform to incorporate domestic, educational and moral concerns. Improvement measures were imposed on communities often by a land-owning class of differing social and religious origin, engendering socio-political tension still evident in Ireland today. Equally it was a period of new commercial opportunities and social betterment creating new class divisions that have been previously undervalued. This paper draws on work on a group of islands on the northern periphery of the country, where archaeological and historical evidence demonstrate that the reforms associated with the Improvement project were still underway well into the nineteenth century.

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Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, Section C, 2012

Of the improvement schemes initiated in eighteenth-century Ireland, the establishment of entirely... more Of the improvement schemes initiated in eighteenth-century Ireland, the establishment of entirely new settlements associated with industrial enterprise were among the most innovative. The small island of Inis Mhic an Doirn in north-western Donegal became the unlikely focus of one such scheme. Under the direction of landlord William Burton Conyngham, the renamed Rutland Island was transformed to accommodate a fishing station complete with custom house and residential quarters. This paper presents the results of an archaeological survey of the island aimed at quantifying the remains of the enterprise and improving understanding of the establishment, nature and fate of one of the most ambitious projects of the age.

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International Journal of Nautical Archaeology, 2010

This paper describes Phase 1 of the project ‘Archaeological Applications of the Joint Irish Bathy... more This paper describes Phase 1 of the project ‘Archaeological Applications of the Joint Irish Bathymetric Survey (JIBS) Data’, analysing bathymetric and backscatter data derived from multibeam surveys off the north coast of Ireland. In particular, the usability of the data for shipwreck detection, identification and site characterization is explored. In Phase 1, the data was screened for anomalous sea-bed features, which were subsequently described, catalogued and categorized according to their archaeological potential and cross-referenced against existing records. A planned second phase of this project will examine each anomaly in greater detail together with the local and regional hydrodynamic conditions.© 2010 The Authors

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International Journal of Historical Archaeology, 2007

This paper focuses on the archaeology of an island off the north coast of Ireland as a case study... more This paper focuses on the archaeology of an island off the north coast of Ireland as a case study of the processes affecting rural life in the country in the Age of Improvement. The nature of changes to management of the landscape and architectural modes is discussed and an attempt is made to identify the agents of reform. The response and negotiation of the islanders to emergent commercialisation is discerned by changes to traditional houses and the material emerging from recent excavation work.

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Journal of Archaeological Science, 2007

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International Journal of Nautical Archaeology, 2006

The manufacture of kelp in Ireland from the 17th to early 20th centuries provided soda and later ... more The manufacture of kelp in Ireland from the 17th to early 20th centuries provided soda and later iodine for contemporary
industries. It was an immensely important element of coastal economies, and notably for island communities, often impoverished and with limited agricultural means. This paper traces the origins and development of the industry in Ireland and examines the evidence for production in the islands off the northern coast. The results of a recent survey of surviving kelp monuments are presented. The form of the monuments, in particular kilns, is considered as well as the role of the industry in island economies.

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Journal of Maritime Archaeology, 2023

The generation of boat and ship imagery in the form of graffiti has long precedents international... more The generation of boat and ship imagery in the form of graffiti has long precedents internationally. Such imagery carries with it a range of context-dependant associations and meanings. This paper presents a collection of previously undescribed graffiti from the north coast of Ireland which demonstrates features and behaviours which parallel those witnessed in a wide range of chronological situations elsewhere, while retaining contextspecific resonances. The twelve graffiti depict a variety of eighteenth-nineteenth century sailing craft and one anchor. In addition, a series of names or initials provide a sense not only of authorship and identification with maritime communities but also the performative and thereby provocative nature of graffiti. This paper argues that the wider socioeconomic changes taking place within these coastal communities provides a basis for understanding the resonance of such imagery across this period.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Heritage, 2023

Communities of the East African coast have had a long history of international interaction. Swahi... more Communities of the East African coast have had a long history of international interaction. Swahili maritime networks linked African port towns across the Indian Ocean seaboard, thus enabling merchandise to reach the hinterlands of the continent. One of these Swahili towns is the ancient city of Gedi, located on the central Kenyan coast near the medieval town of Malindi. Located inshore, 6 km from the main ocean to the southeast and 3 km from Mida Creek to the southwest, Gedi's lack of seaward connectivity has perplexed scholars. To effectively function within the vibrant Indian Ocean maritime trade networks of the 10th to 16th centuries CE, Gedi needed access to the sea. Inevitably goods had to be transported overland from a port or landing place. The 'MUCH to Discover in Mida Creek' project carried out an archaeological survey around the Creek to form a broader understanding of the region's maritime past. The study identified a range of sites that evidence past coastal activity. In particular, a concentration of contemporary house sites at Chafisi near the closest point on the Creek to Gedi would suggest it may have acted as an outport for the stone town.

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Journal of Archaeological Science, 2007

... Mombasa serves as a gateway port to the interior, serving Uganda, Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and ... more ... Mombasa serves as a gateway port to the interior, serving Uganda, Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and to some extent southern Sudan, Somalia and southern Ethiopia. ... 1), is regarded as a dynamic region of maritime cultural activity (Breen and Lane, 2003). ...

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Antiquity, 2001

In January 2001, a team of researchers from the University of Ulster (Northern Ireland) conducted... more In January 2001, a team of researchers from the University of Ulster (Northern Ireland) conducted an innovative maritime archaeology project on the East African coast in partnership with the British Institute in Eastern Africa and the National Museums of Kenya. Its focus was Mombasa Island on the southern Kenyan coast, a historical settlement and port for nearly 2000 years (Berg 1968; Sassoon 1980; 1982). The East African seaboard, stretching from Somalia in the north to Madagascar and Mozambique in the south, was culturally dynamic throughout the historical period. This area, traditionally known as the Swahili coast, is culturally defined as a maritime zone extending 2000 km from north to south, but reaching a mere 15 hi inland. The origins of ‘Swahili’ cultural identity originated during the middle of the 1st millennium AD, following consolidation of earlier farming and metalusing Bantu-speaking communities along the coast and emergence of a distinctive ‘maritime’ orientation and ...

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... Boats and Shipwrecks of Ireland. ... Breen, Colin and Forsythe, Wes (2004) Boats andShipwreck... more ... Boats and Shipwrecks of Ireland. ... Breen, Colin and Forsythe, Wes (2004) Boats andShipwrecks of Ireland. Tempus. 192 pp ISBN 0 7524 3122 6. Full text not available from this repository. Item Type: Book (authored). Faculties ...

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‘Ottoman Suakin 1541 – 1865: Lost & Found,’ in A. Peacock, ed., The Frontiers of the Ottoman World. (Proceedings of the British Academy 156, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009) 469-492., 2009

THE ISLAND TOWN OF SUAKIN (Ott. Sevvakin) was one of the major Red Sea ports and, for a short per... more THE ISLAND TOWN OF SUAKIN (Ott. Sevvakin) was one of the major Red Sea ports and, for a short period, the capital of the Ottoman eyalet of Habeş (see Figure 24.1). 1 It lies 60 kilometres south of present-day Port Sudan, and has recently been the subject of a Sudanese-British collaborative archaeological project focusing on three main areas of research: archaeological study of the development of the settlement, architectural study of the ruins, and the future protection of the place as a cultural site. 2 This chapter summarises the aspects of the project reflecting Suakin's Ottoman history. The port long had significance as a focus for trade situated at the frontier of the Ottoman and Funj territories. During this period, many of its more famous buildings were constructed. Tragically, most have vanished under the rubble of Suakin's collapse since the site was abandoned in 1922. Thanks to the large photographic record and the excellent studies of J.-P. Greenlaw 3 and F. W. Hinkel 4 some of these buildings remain well known and the memory of Suakin as a place of cultural importance has survived.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Antiquity, 2001

In January 2001, a team of researchers from the University of Ulster (Northern Ireland) conducted... more In January 2001, a team of researchers from the University of Ulster (Northern Ireland) conducted an innovative maritime archaeology project on the East African coast in partnership with the British Institute in Eastern Africa and the National Museums of Kenya. ...

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International Journal of Nautical Archaeology, 2011

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The Frontiers of the Ottoman World, 2009

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Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa, 2011

... Masonry construction is noted early in the century, while the Beit el Basha itself was constr... more ... Masonry construction is noted early in the century, while the Beit el Basha itself was constructed in the middle part of the sixteenth ... General of the National Corporation of Antiquities and Museums (NCAM) of Sudan for his support and to Dr Salah Mohammed Ahmed, Khali.

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Journal of Archaeological Science

Mombasa Island, settled for almost 2000 years, played a central role in the development of the ce... more Mombasa Island, settled for almost 2000 years, played a central role in the development of the central seaboard of East Africa, emerging by the 16th century as a centre of sustained port dominance. Marine geoarchaeological surveys were conducted in Mombasa Harbour in 2001 (i) to quantify the nature and extent of the submerged archaeological resource, (ii) to investigate site formation and preservation potential of historic shipwrecks, and (iii) to explore the natural evolution of the Old Port and adjacent basins in the context of hydrodynamic and sedimentary processes. Backscatter and single-beam echo-sounder data were acquired, interpreted and diver-truthed using surface-demand and SCUBA systems. It is proposed that sustained scour processes, resultant from the interaction of ebb and flood tidal currents with bedrock ridges, control the bathymetric evolution of Mombasa Harbour, negating requirement for mechanical dredging. The submerged archaeological resource in the area comprises...

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Journal of the Conservation and Management of Archaeological Sites , 2015

For much of the second millennium ce Suakin was one of the most important port cities in the upp... more For much of the second millennium ce Suakin was one of the most important
port cities in the upper Red Sea region. Effectively abandoned in the
late 1920s, the historic core of the urban centre has deteriorated to such an
extent that it now consists of little more than a pile of rubble. How, then,
does a heritage professional approach the future management or development
of a site like this? A range of options are presented here in an attempt
to generate a more informed and engaged approach to the site’s future.
Underpinning this research is an assumption that heritage conservation is
an integral part of civil society and that conservation both contributes to the
nature of, and in turn is shaped by, the needs and forces of that society.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Journal of Maritime Archaeology , 2015

Fish traps are one of the most widespread and enduring features of the maritime landscape. Recen... more Fish traps are one of the most widespread and enduring features of the maritime
landscape. Recent research in Ireland has identified a great number of traps, most of which
date from the early to late medieval periods. This paper presents the findings of a recent
survey of Lough Swilly in north-western Ireland where a series of fish traps offers new
insights into the survival, diversity and role of these sites in the post-medieval period.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

International Journal of Historical Archaeology , 2015

This article examines the historical architecture and elite palace sites of the nineteenth-centu... more This article examines the historical architecture and elite palace sites of the
nineteenth-century Sultanate of Zanzibar. Archaeological coastal survey and historical
research is used to discuss the way in which these built structures demonstrate the
changing forces of mercantile control in the Western Indian Ocean. On moving his
court to Zanzibar from Oman in 1828, Seyyid Said bin Sultan set about consolidating
his authority. This consolidation and subsequent demise is reflected, it is argued, in the
structural remains along Zanzibar’s western coast.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

International Journal of Historical Archaeology, 2013

This paper examines the impact and evidence of Improvement thinking on domestic and social sphere... more This paper examines the impact and evidence of Improvement thinking on domestic and social spheres. Taking the example of Ireland it examines the origin and development of improving strategies and methodologies from the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries, in particular the widening application of reform to incorporate domestic, educational and moral concerns. Improvement measures were imposed on communities often by a land-owning class of differing social and religious origin, engendering socio-political tension still evident in Ireland today. Equally it was a period of new commercial opportunities and social betterment creating new class divisions that have been previously undervalued. This paper draws on work on a group of islands on the northern periphery of the country, where archaeological and historical evidence demonstrate that the reforms associated with the Improvement project were still underway well into the nineteenth century.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, Section C, 2012

Of the improvement schemes initiated in eighteenth-century Ireland, the establishment of entirely... more Of the improvement schemes initiated in eighteenth-century Ireland, the establishment of entirely new settlements associated with industrial enterprise were among the most innovative. The small island of Inis Mhic an Doirn in north-western Donegal became the unlikely focus of one such scheme. Under the direction of landlord William Burton Conyngham, the renamed Rutland Island was transformed to accommodate a fishing station complete with custom house and residential quarters. This paper presents the results of an archaeological survey of the island aimed at quantifying the remains of the enterprise and improving understanding of the establishment, nature and fate of one of the most ambitious projects of the age.

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International Journal of Nautical Archaeology, 2010

This paper describes Phase 1 of the project ‘Archaeological Applications of the Joint Irish Bathy... more This paper describes Phase 1 of the project ‘Archaeological Applications of the Joint Irish Bathymetric Survey (JIBS) Data’, analysing bathymetric and backscatter data derived from multibeam surveys off the north coast of Ireland. In particular, the usability of the data for shipwreck detection, identification and site characterization is explored. In Phase 1, the data was screened for anomalous sea-bed features, which were subsequently described, catalogued and categorized according to their archaeological potential and cross-referenced against existing records. A planned second phase of this project will examine each anomaly in greater detail together with the local and regional hydrodynamic conditions.© 2010 The Authors

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International Journal of Historical Archaeology, 2007

This paper focuses on the archaeology of an island off the north coast of Ireland as a case study... more This paper focuses on the archaeology of an island off the north coast of Ireland as a case study of the processes affecting rural life in the country in the Age of Improvement. The nature of changes to management of the landscape and architectural modes is discussed and an attempt is made to identify the agents of reform. The response and negotiation of the islanders to emergent commercialisation is discerned by changes to traditional houses and the material emerging from recent excavation work.

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Journal of Archaeological Science, 2007

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

International Journal of Nautical Archaeology, 2006

The manufacture of kelp in Ireland from the 17th to early 20th centuries provided soda and later ... more The manufacture of kelp in Ireland from the 17th to early 20th centuries provided soda and later iodine for contemporary
industries. It was an immensely important element of coastal economies, and notably for island communities, often impoverished and with limited agricultural means. This paper traces the origins and development of the industry in Ireland and examines the evidence for production in the islands off the northern coast. The results of a recent survey of surviving kelp monuments are presented. The form of the monuments, in particular kilns, is considered as well as the role of the industry in island economies.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact