Speakers

Dr Lucy  BLUE
Senior Lecturer, University of Southampton, UK

Biography:

Dr. Lucy Blue is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Southampton, and Director of the Maritime Archaeological Stewardship Trust (MAST). She was awarded a PhD (DPhil) from Oxford University. Dr. Blue is also Vice-President of the Nautical Archaeology Society, and Advisor to the Honor Frost Foundation. Dr. Lucy Blue has wide experience in maritime archaeology that extends from maritime ethnography, coastal landscapes, harbors and geo-archeology, to underwater survey and excavation, coastal heritage management and preservation. She has published over 50 publications, including Lake Mareotis: Reconstructing the Past: Proceedings of the International Conference on the Archaeology of the Mareotic Region. University of Alexandria, April 2008, and A Multidisciplinary Approach to Alexandria’s Economic Past: The Mareotis Case Study. The most recent monograph is the product of five seasons of archaeological survey along the shores of Lake Mareotis, Alexandria, Egypt. She was one of four expert presenters on the BBC/Discovery co-funded eight-part documentary series “Oceans”, as well as a founding member of UNESCO UniTwin Maritime Archaeological Network. 


Abstract:

The Port of Myos Hormos

This paper will provide an overview of the survey and excavations that have been conducted at the site of Myos Hormos (Al-Quseir al-Qadim), the Roman and later early Islamic port site on the Red Sea coast of Egypt. It will focus on the work conducted there over five seasons between 1999 to 2003 by Southampton University, under the direction of Professor Peacock and Dr. Lucy Blue. The maritime dimensions of the site will be explored through harbor basins, maritime findings, and the changing maritime landscape over time. The results of the investigation of this critical port site have made a substantial contribution to our knowledge of maritime trade in the region, particularly during the period of Roman maritime trade with India, when Myos Hormos was the first, and last, port of trade.