Ship Graffiti Research Articles

Ship Graffiti in Horologion of Andronikos Kyrristos, Greece: A Comparative Study and New Evidence

The paper contributes new information about the Horologion of Andronikos Kyrristos of the Roman Agora of Athens, Greece and its continuous presence in Athens from antiquity until now. The monument is of cultural, historical and astronomical importance. It has undergone conservation work and non-destructive documentation which contribute to its sustainability. The spectral imaging technique, which allows the acquisition of high-resolution images, was applied on the stone surfaces of the monument. The acquisition of images in the visible and infrared regions, combined with the digital tracing reproduction of the graffiti and image processing, is used for the first time in this particularly interesting case study of the aforementioned monument, of which a complete description is provided. New evidence with a clearer recording of the vessels already mentioned in the literature, as well as the detection of new historical data and graffiti, is discussed in comparison with the results of previous studies.

Sailing across the Wall: Ship Graffiti on Cretan Church Wall Paintings

Sailing across the Wall: Ship Graffiti on Cretan Church Wall Paintings

Ship graffiti at the Zanzibar Gereza (Old Fort), Stone Town, Unguja, Tanzania

ABSTRACT A number of graffiti of ships are to be found engraved into the plaster of the Gereza (Old Fort) of Stone Town on Unguja, the main island of the Zanzibar Archipelago, Tanzania. Most of those reported here appear on the ramparts of the southwestern tower, while some are on the western face of the main partition wall separating the western and eastern wards. Although sometimes sketchy, the images suggest a number of vessel types, including a frigate or frigate-built vessel and a number of settee-rigged ocean-going vessels referred to exonymically as ‘dhows’. Some appear to have transom sterns, hinting at particular vessel types, such as the baghla, ghanja, sanbūq or kotia. Two graffiti might also depict the stem heads of the East African mtepe. The graffiti are documented and interpreted in the context of the fort, Oman’s East African empire, and the Indian Ocean dhow trade. The construction history of the building and the vessel types depicted date the graffiti to the mid-late nineteenth century.

Medieval Ship Graffiti from Amarynthos, Euboea, Greece

Medieval Ship Graffiti from Amarynthos, Euboea, Greece

Medieval Ship Graffiti in English Churches: Interpretation and function

In early 2010 a community archaeology project was established to undertake the very first large-scale survey of surviving medieval graffiti inscriptions in English churches. The multi-award winning...

Medieval Carved Ship Images Found in Nordic Churches: the poor man's votive ships?

The so-called ship graffiti found inside Catholic churches of the Scando-Baltic region may not only be graffiti. The author suggests that some may have been carved with votive intent in sacred spaces by people without greater means. The reason could have been a particular sea journey feared by sailors or their families. Actual proofs may be difficult to obtain due to the lack of inscriptions stating a particular intention, but in a Gotlandic church one ship image is accompanied by a prayer for what seems to have been its crew. This alternative interpretation appears to be in line with a current archaeological focus on the contextual polysemy of all kinds of ‘prehistoric’ pictures.

Ship Graffiti in Burial Cave 557 at Maresha

Ship Graffiti in Burial Cave 557 at Maresha

Graffiti of Ships in the Bahá’í Mansion at Mazra‘ih, Israel

Graffiti of ships were found on a wall of a courtyard of the Baha’i mansion in the village of Mazra‘ih, near Akko, Israel. It is suggested that three graffiti depict frigates, near Akko, the largest of about 850 t burden, some time in the second quarter of the nineteenth century. This is evidence for maritime activities at Akko in these years, and for the type of ships.

16th-Century Ship Graffiti on the Town Walls of Eivissa, Balearic Islands, Spain

Among the historical ship depictions in Eivissa (Balearic Islands, Spain), the graffiti of galleys on the Renaissance city walls are of particular interest. From archival documents the building sequences of this monument can be confirmed. Thus the galley graffiti on the eastern side of the bastion of Sant Bernat can be narrowed down chronologically to slightly after 1568. These graffiti are also interpreted from the social history point of view, in the light of ongoing corsair incursions during the 16th century. © 2009 The Author

Bahamian Ship Graffiti

In the Age of Sail the Bahamas was on major routes between the Americas and Europe. Bahamians developed a way of life using their location to advantage. Ship graffiti are the first archaeological evidence of Bahamian shipping activity. The graffiti are unique in the region, being incised into a variety of stone surfaces, and probably other surfaces which have not survived. Images depict locally-built vessels such as sloops and schooners as well as larger, ocean-going ships. Graffiti locations are predominantly associated with people of African heritage and lower socio-economic status. Details suggest artists were familiar with ship construction and rigging. © 2006 The Author

LE NAVIRE MNŠ ET AUTRES NOTES DE VOYAGE EN EGYPTE

SUMMARY 1. Under Ramses II and Ramses III, the Egyptians used for their maritime expeditions to distant parts, a type of merchant ship called mns that was likely to have been built in their own shipyards. Close examination of the hieroglyphs at Karnak and Abydos does, however, show these mns ships to be foreign to the local tradition; they are indeed Syrian in design. 2. Ship graffiti from Karnak and Dendera point to a greater complexity in the development of Egyptian shipping than one might have expected from the stereotyped vessels that are shown in Pharaonic representations. Some surprising types of ships appear in the graffiti, but unfortunately they are not easy to date. 3. A relief in the Temple of Horus at Edfu brings complete confirmation of certain peculiarities of Egyptian rigging as described by Herodotus (11, 36). 4. There is a stone-anchor in the Temple of Amon at Karnak which should be considered as an ex voto. Its characteristics evoke, in particular, a type of anchor that has, for instance...

Ship graffiti in the church of San Marco in Venice

International Journal of Nautical ArchaeologyVolume 4, Issue 2 p. 229-236 Ship graffiti in the church of San Marco in Venice S. W. Helms, S. W. Helms Institute of Archaeology, University of LondonSearch for more papers by this author S. W. Helms, S. W. Helms Institute of Archaeology, University of LondonSearch for more papers by this author First published: September 1975 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-9270.1975.tb00916.xCitations: 6AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Citing Literature Volume4, Issue2September 1975Pages 229-236 RelatedInformation

A wooden Norwegian calendar of 1457 with ship graffiti: Problems relating to the source value of primitive representations of ships

International Journal of Nautical ArchaeologyVolume 2, Issue 1 p. 147-158 A wooden Norwegian calendar of 1457 with ship graffiti: Problems relating to the source value of primitive representations of ships Niels-Knud Liebgott, Niels-Knud Liebgott Nationalmuseet, København, DanmarkSearch for more papers by this authorJan Stubbe Østergaard, Jan Stubbe Østergaard Nationalmuseet, København, DanmarkSearch for more papers by this author Niels-Knud Liebgott, Niels-Knud Liebgott Nationalmuseet, København, DanmarkSearch for more papers by this authorJan Stubbe Østergaard, Jan Stubbe Østergaard Nationalmuseet, København, DanmarkSearch for more papers by this author First published: March 1973 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-9270.1973.tb00498.xCitations: 2AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume2, Issue1March 1973Pages 147-158 RelatedInformation

Graffiti of Ships at Tarxien, Malta

In May 1956, while visiting the megalithic temples of Tarxien, which stand on high ground less than a mile from the inner creeks of Grand Harbour, massed graffiti of ships were observed on two adjacent uprights in the ‘Third Temple’.

Graffiti of ships in Old Churches

Graffiti of ships in Old Churches

Graffiti of ships

Graffiti of ships

Graffiti of Ships in Old Churches

Graffiti of Ships in Old Churches

Graffiti of ships in old churches

Graffiti of ships in old churches

Graffiti of ships in old churches

Graffiti of ships in old churches