Month: April 2025

https://podcasts.ox.ac.uk/j3-roman-ships-boat-portus-magnus-alexandria

A small Roman boat was discovered in the port of Alexandria. Why was it transporting a large iron anchor at the moment it sank? Professor Damian Robinson presents this fascinating and rare find.

J3, a small boat around 6 meters long, was discovered by the European Institute for Underwater Archaeology (IEASM) in the eastern harbour of Alexandria, the ancient Portus Magnus. The boat, dating to the 1st-2nd century AD, was discovered towards the northeastern end of the now sunken Antirhodos Island in its sheltered inner harbour, well preserved in the sediments.

The excavation allowed a team from the IEASM to study the wreck in detail, to reveal the details of the construction and to interpret the function of the boat and its potential region of origin. J3 was transporting a large iron anchor at the moment it sank. This occupied almost the entire preserved length of the ship and was carefully positioned with its crown on the decked aft area and the shank under the removable thwarts.

For more information about the OCMA: https://ocma.web.ox.ac.uk/

For more information about the European Institute for Underwater Archaeology (IEASM):
https://www.ieasm.org/
https://www.franckgoddio.org/
https://www.youtube.com/@Franck_Goddio

For more information about the Hilti Foundation: https://www.hiltifoundation.org/

https://www.maritimearchaeological.org/event-details/2025-annual-mas-meeting

Apr 05, 2025, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM PDT

Barbey Maritime Center, 2042 Marine Dr, Astoria, OR 97103, USA

You’re invited to our FREE MAS Annual Conference at the Barbey Maritime Center (Columbia River Maritime Museum) in Astoria on April 5th, from 1 PM – 4 PM!

Join us for an exciting afternoon featuring guest speakers, the latest MAS updates, networking opportunities, and more.

https://postdocs.stanford.edu/prospective/opportunities/open-postdoctoral-position-faculty-mentor-krish-seetah-1

Our oceans constitute 71% of Earth’s surface, providing livelihoods and food for ~3 billion people. As blue growth escalates, humanity is having exponentially greater impacts on our oceans through pipelines, cables, oil rigs, and ship transport. Shipping has a range of impacts from pollution, to changes in the ocean soundscape and concurrent impacts on marine life. Shipwrecks are a ubiquitous, underutilized, multidimensional and multiproxy, data resource describing the many-to-many relationships affecting ocean health. We conceptualize shipwrecks as a global ‘ecological’ phenomenon, applying the principles of ‘ocean health’ to their impacts on ocean systems. 

The Seetah Lab, Stanford University, seeks an ambitious and motivated postdoctoral scholar to join an exciting project focused on a unique alignment of visual, acoustic, and structural data for a radical new assessment of anthropogenic impact on our oceans, using shipwrecks as a core data resources. This position would support the ‘Assessing our Anthropogenic Oceans’ project, funded by an award from the Discovery Grant, Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, co-sponsored by the recently launched Stanford Robotics Center. This project centers on the Indian Ocean region, principally Mauritius, and works closely with the government of Mauritius and local stakeholders. The post-doc will support dive surveys to assess the current state of both modern and historical shipwrecks; the biodiversity context of the wrecks, as well as biodiversity assessments of the local lagoon and surrounding off-shore region. The project will also engage closely with Stanford Robotics to develop approaches for assessing deep water wrecks, supporting the development of the next generation of submersible, humanoid, robotics. Requirements for the post-doc are a Ph.D. in reef ecology, underwater maritime archaeology, marine science, or combination/experience thereof, as well as dive certification. Experience of working in the Indian Ocean region would be an added benefit. The postdoc will undertake dive surveys, contribute to publications, and provide logistical support as needed. 

Required Qualifications: 

1. Ph.D. in maritime archaeology; reef ecology, marine science, or combination/experience thereof 
2. Dive certification 
3. Prior field experience

Beneficial but not required skills:

1. Experience in archaeological survey 
2. French language
3. Digital Humanities skills
4. Previous field work in the Indian Ocean region

Required Application Materials: 

Applying to the post-doctoral fellowship

Only complete applications will be considered. Please submit your application by the 15 of May 2025, and include the following:

• Cover letter (1 page limit).  Provide the committee with an overview of your skills and experience, how you anticipate aligning with the post description, and your potential contributions to the project.
• Curriculum vitae.  This should include education, research history, work experience, publications, presentations, teaching, and other professional experiences, along with your full legal name, contact information, and (expected) date of Ph.D., which must be conferred by the start date for the postdoc.
• Letters (3 required).  Please provide the names and contact details for three referees who can comment knowledgeably about your expertise and potential fit for the post.

https://www.findaphd.com/phds/project/comparative-studies-of-flevoland/?p183067

This PhD studentship is integrated into work package 1 of the ERC Synergy Subnordica Project, which will develop methodologies to identify areas of archaeological potential in deep waters of the southern North Sea. The successful candidate will work on the comparative analysis of the Flevoland datasets to consider proxy design strategies for the prospection of submerged palaeolandscapes in the southern North Sea. The candidate will work closely with the wider Subnordica team, and our partners, including TNO, Groningen, and Gemeente Almere, the latter responsible for current archaeological work on Flevoland.

This project is funded by the European Research Council (ERC). The successful applicant will be awarded a studentship, which will cover Home tuition fees, plus an annual tax-free stipend of at least £20,780 per year.

https://www.findaphd.com/phds/project/al-and-behavioral-modelling/?p183068%E2%80%A6

This PhD studentship is integrated into work package 5 of the ERC Synergy Subnordica Project, which will combine data from across the entire project into a set of predictive models for comparative analysis across case study regions. The successful candidate will work on the development and application of AI/Machine learning and behavioural modelling within the North and Baltic seas, utilising legacy and new data collected as part of the wider project. The candidate will work closely with the wider Subnordica team, and our partners, in order to integrate data across a number of case study areas.

The successful candidate will start this project in October 2025.

This project is funded by the European Research Council (ERC). The successful applicant will be awarded a studentship, which will cover Home tuition fees, plus an annual tax-free stipend of at least £20,780 per year.