The Mortella III Wreck: a Spotlight on Mediterranean Shipbuilding of the 16th Century

Roche, Arnaud Cazenave de la

doi:10.30861/9781407354132

Cited by 9 publications

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“…The new discoveries must be added to this need for revision. Above all, I would like to underline the role of investigation of archival written sources, which have made it possible to date the sinking of two Genoese merchant ships called Mortella II and Mortella III [12][13] to 1527, whose ceramics are discussed in this paper. Research on written documentation has again allowed us to specify the previous, very generic dating to the 16th century of the Rocciu 1 wreck in Corsica [14].…”

Section: Mediterranean Post-medieval Wrecks and Pottery: Methodology ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Post-Medieval Wrecks in the Western Mediterranean and Pottery: The Mortella II Wreck (1527) and the Chronology of Montelupo Tin-Glazed Earthenware

Milanese

2023

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This paper discusses and underlines the importance of investigations on post-medieval shipwrecks, particularly for wrecks where archival documentation is also available, in relation to gaining a better knowledge of tin-glazed tableware produced in Montelupo (Florence, Tuscany). The case of the Mortella II wrecks is interesting in this sense and also shows how an exact dating of the wreck can allow for a revision of the chronologies of the ceramic classes found on board. In the case of the majolica of Montelupo, the revision of the dating of these ceramics with great diffusion (Europe, Americas, Africa) has major repercussions on international archaeological research. This paper presents a preliminary study of the Montelupo tin-glazed tableware found in the 2021 excavation researches conducted on the Mortella II wreck. The interest in the pottery recovered is high, for several reasons: (A) The dating of the wreck to 1527, clarified thanks to the discovery of a written document related to the sinking of the two Genoese “twin” ships off Saint-Florent (Haute-Corse), which are conventionally defined as Mortella II and III. (B) The almost exclusive presence of Montelupo majolica, a ceramic class among the most important between the 16th and 17th centuries, with a very wide dispersal throughout in the Mediterranean and Europe, as well as internationally. (C) The variety of decorations of the majolica of Montelupo documented thus far in the wreck (at least nine) makes this first sample a reference site for the study of this ceramic class in the first quarter of the 16th century, especially for the precise date of closure for the context (1527).

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Section: Mediterranean Post-medieval Wrecks and Pottery: Methodology ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Post-Medieval Wrecks in the Western Mediterranean and Pottery: The Mortella II Wreck (1527) and the Chronology of Montelupo Tin-Glazed Earthenware

Milanese

2023

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“…The contact surfaces were carefully levelled and overlapped over a length of 1 metre, on average. This typology of scarfs is known as ‘hook scarf’, a method of attaching timbers typical of the Mediterranean shipbuilding tradition ( Cazenave de la Roche, 2020c , 66 and 154).…”

Section: The Line On Naval Architecturementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Two stages of the excavation have enabled us to make significant progress on this subject: the discovery of the fore end of the keel led to the precise measurement of its length and the reconstruction on land of the master-frame remains M27. Having discovered this information, it was possible to study the shape of the ship and assess its proportions ( Cazenave de la Roche, 2020c : p.57-67 and p.117-131).…”

Section: The Line On Naval Architecturementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Mortella project brought together several universities, institutions and research centres such as the University of Paris-Sorbonne and the ForSEAdiscovery consortium 4 ( Crespo Solana, 2016 and Crespo Solana et al ., 2014 ). It led to the formation of a multidisciplinary and international team whose work has resulted in several publications, including a doctoral thesis and a monograph published in French and English ( Cazenave de la Roche, 2020b and Cazenave de la Roche, 2021 ), which this article completes with new information from the last excavation campaign.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Review of the research programme on the Mortella III wreck (2010-2020, Corsica, France): A contribution to the knowledge of the Mediterranean naval architecture and material culture of the Renaissance.

Roche¹,

Ciacchella²,

Langenegger³

et al. 2022

Open Res Europe

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The Mortella wrecks are the remains of two navi, Genoese seagoing merchant ships, sunk in 1527 in the Bay of Saint-Florent (Upper-Corsica, France) during the Seventh Italian War. A programme of archaeological excavations and historical research has been held on one of them, Mortella III, between 2010 and 2020. It has involved a multidisciplinary team around a European research project called ModernShip (Horizon 2020), whose objective is to shed light on Mediterranean shipbuilding during the Renaissance, a field still little known to this day. At the end of these 10 years, the aim of the present article is to conclude this research programme with the presentation of a scientific review that complements a recently published monograph on the Mortella III wreck. This study presents the latest results on the ship's architecture obtained during the excavation of the wreck in 2019, including a study of the wood of the framework. Finally, this article broadens our understanding of the nave presenting the results of a collaborative line of research on material culture with three studies in close connection with the ship architecture: artillery, anchors and ceramics.

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“…The midship section of this very large ship belongs to the "wine glass" type with a garboard return (Figure 13). The second wreck is that of Calvi 1, Corsica, dated 1550-1600 [31,32]. The reconstructed dimensions of this ship are as follows: overall length 24.90 m, width at the main beam 7.80 m, depth in hold 3.80 m, load capacity between 220 and 330 tons [31] (p. 112).…”

Section: From the Flat Midship Transverse Section Of The 11th-century Coaster Of Serçe Limanı To The Flat Midship Transverse Section Of Tmentioning

confidence: 99%

Master Frame and Flat Floor-Timber: An ‘Architectural Signature’ of the Mediterranean Shipyards?

Rieth¹

2021

Heritage

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This article is an attempt to analyse the master frame form characterised by a flat floor-timber, a sharp or shaped turn of the bilge, and more or less straight sides. This form of master frame is associated with the Mediterranean architecture of the ‘frame-based’ principle, as attested from the end of the 5th century to the beginning of the 6th century AD Dor 2001/1 shipwreck (Israel), which is considered as one of the five origins (Root 4: Nilotic-riverine) of the ‘frame-based’ architecture. A series of medieval and modern wrecks of coastal ships and galleys bear witness to this form of master frame linked more generally to the Mediterranean whole moulding. In view of the consistency of these archaeological as well as ethnographic evidence on traditional Mediterranean shipbuilding, this form of master frame with a flat floor-timber appears to be one of the most revealing ‘architectural signatures’ of the practices of Mediterranean shipyards.

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The Mortella III Wreck: a Spotlight on Mediterranean Shipbuilding of the 16th Century

Cited by 9 publications

References 0 publications

Post-Medieval Wrecks in the Western Mediterranean and Pottery: The Mortella II Wreck (1527) and the Chronology of Montelupo Tin-Glazed Earthenware

Post-Medieval Wrecks in the Western Mediterranean and Pottery: The Mortella II Wreck (1527) and the Chronology of Montelupo Tin-Glazed Earthenware

Review of the research programme on the Mortella III wreck (2010-2020, Corsica, France): A contribution to the knowledge of the Mediterranean naval architecture and material culture of the Renaissance.

Master Frame and Flat Floor-Timber: An ‘Architectural Signature’ of the Mediterranean Shipyards?

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