Conference Presentations by Efthymia Akrivopoulou
When talking about shipbuilding, the majority of articles and studies center their attention on t... more When talking about shipbuilding, the majority of articles and studies center their attention on the ship's skeleton, its fastenings and its external structure, leaving the finishing of the ship, like the painting and last coatings in the background. That is why, for the 15th ISBSA, we want our work to be focused precisely on these forgotten topics.
Almost in the centre of the Mediterranean Sea lie the small islands of Malta and Gozo. Already since Prehistory, they have been a target of numerous invasions due to their strategic geographical position for the conquest of the Mediterranean. This interchange of external influences is what formed today's Maltese heterogeneous culture. A reflection of this cultural variety is the colourful traditional fishing boats found on the island. It is one of these boats, the luzzu (luzzijet in plural), the main subject of our research. Although it was one of the last types of traditional vessels to appear on the island, eventually it became one of the most popular. Thus, this project will aim to present and understand the colours and symbols of the luzzu, using, if possible, first-hand knowledge derived from personal communication with Maltese fishermen, owners and shipwrights. This information will complement our knowledge from written sources. A very important part of this research and one of the most significant decorations are the eyes (oculi) placed on the bow, related possibly with the Eye of Horus. Finally, since previous studies have shown geographical differentiation regarding the choice of colours decorating the boat and given the time passed since the last studies on the luzzu, another research question will be to observe how different is the current situation.
Papers by Efthymia Akrivopoulou
Antike Kunst, vol 66, 2023
Presentations of research carried out in the field in 2022 as part of the Bay of Kiladha project.
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Conference Presentations by Efthymia Akrivopoulou
Almost in the centre of the Mediterranean Sea lie the small islands of Malta and Gozo. Already since Prehistory, they have been a target of numerous invasions due to their strategic geographical position for the conquest of the Mediterranean. This interchange of external influences is what formed today's Maltese heterogeneous culture. A reflection of this cultural variety is the colourful traditional fishing boats found on the island. It is one of these boats, the luzzu (luzzijet in plural), the main subject of our research. Although it was one of the last types of traditional vessels to appear on the island, eventually it became one of the most popular. Thus, this project will aim to present and understand the colours and symbols of the luzzu, using, if possible, first-hand knowledge derived from personal communication with Maltese fishermen, owners and shipwrights. This information will complement our knowledge from written sources. A very important part of this research and one of the most significant decorations are the eyes (oculi) placed on the bow, related possibly with the Eye of Horus. Finally, since previous studies have shown geographical differentiation regarding the choice of colours decorating the boat and given the time passed since the last studies on the luzzu, another research question will be to observe how different is the current situation.
Papers by Efthymia Akrivopoulou
Almost in the centre of the Mediterranean Sea lie the small islands of Malta and Gozo. Already since Prehistory, they have been a target of numerous invasions due to their strategic geographical position for the conquest of the Mediterranean. This interchange of external influences is what formed today's Maltese heterogeneous culture. A reflection of this cultural variety is the colourful traditional fishing boats found on the island. It is one of these boats, the luzzu (luzzijet in plural), the main subject of our research. Although it was one of the last types of traditional vessels to appear on the island, eventually it became one of the most popular. Thus, this project will aim to present and understand the colours and symbols of the luzzu, using, if possible, first-hand knowledge derived from personal communication with Maltese fishermen, owners and shipwrights. This information will complement our knowledge from written sources. A very important part of this research and one of the most significant decorations are the eyes (oculi) placed on the bow, related possibly with the Eye of Horus. Finally, since previous studies have shown geographical differentiation regarding the choice of colours decorating the boat and given the time passed since the last studies on the luzzu, another research question will be to observe how different is the current situation.