An example of a Roman ‘sprit sail’.
The first of the 2017 Aspects of Antiquity lectures, organised by staff from Classics and Ancient History in the School of Humanities, will take place on Thursday 13 July at the usual time of 5.30pm in the Arts building A2 lecture theatre 2 (close to the Museum of Antiquities).
Dr Christopher Davey, Honorary Director of the Australian Institute of Archaeology based in Melbourne, will be the speaker. He has visited us previously to talk about his participation in the excavations at the ancient site of Kourion on Cyprus.
The title of his upcoming lecture is very different: ‘Sailing against the wind in Roman times: achievements and opportunities.’
He will discuss the significance of an innovation by the Romans in their development of a ‘sprit-sail’ for their merchant sailing ships, which made sailing to windward and tacking routine, and permitted the design and building of merchant sailing ships larger than the largest merchant galleys. This in turn permitted the growth of a flourishing bulk commodity trade that underpinned Roman maritime commerce.
Christopher Davey has been Honorary Director of the Australian Institute of Archaeology for over 15 years, and was primarily responsible for re-establishing it as an independent institute on the Melbourne campus of La Trobe University. He studied ancient languages at Cambridge University and archaeology at the Institute of Archaeology, University of London. His PhD (La Trobe) was completed a few years ago on the history of the AIA and the role of its founder, the businessman Walter Beasley. He has excavated in Europe, Australia and the Middle East, and has undertaken research into the history of mining and metallurgy and the history of archaeology.
Prior to retirement, Chris had a professional career initially as a mining engineer at Broken Hill, and then as a mines inspector, a contract engineer, a university lecturer, merchant banker, and international project financier. As well as this diverse work history, Chris’ life-long recreation has been sailing in small boats, and sometimes in replicas of historic craft.
All are welcome to his lecture, which is free.