Project 'U Mari

Project 'U Mari (“the sea” in local Sicilian dialect) explores the diverse maritime heritage of southeast Sicily, examining millennia of life with—and connections across—the Mediterranean from a key vantage point between west and east, south and north. Expanding the purview and collaborative engagement of previous efforts at Marzamemi, work centers on several fields of survey, conservation, and analysis of artifacts from shipwrecks in the area; archaeological, 3D scanning, and archival documentation of the material culture and traditions of 2500 years of tuna fishing; and the transforming mobilities, disruptions and immobilities that define the contemporary sea. Undertaken with partners in Italy (Suor Orsola Benincasa University of Naples, Federico II University of Naples, Soprintendenza del Mare, Comune di Portopalo di Capo Passero, El Cachalote Diving) and Canada (Brock University), these efforts serve not only to promote new research into historical livelihoods along the sea, but also guide our consideration into how best to preserve and present a diverse maritime past through exhibits and other forms of public engagement.