Ania Kotarba-Morley
Ania Kotarba-Morley is a maritime and landscape archaeologists currently working as a Lecturer in Archaeology at the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia.
Ania has previously held a post of a Lecturer in Archaeology and Ancient History at Macquarie University, Sydney and a Lecturer in Archaeology at the University of Wollongong. She holds a PhD from the University of Oxford, UK in Archaeology (specialisations: Archaeological Science and Roman Archaeology) and MPhil from Jagiellonian University, Poland in Archaeology. She has also studied Anthropology and Comparative Religion Studies as well as Ancient History.
She is an experienced Field and Underwater Archaeologist (Research and Consultancy), Geoarchaeologist, Site Director and Heritage and Museums Consultant with experience working in over 25 countries. Ania has also professionally worked as a Course Coordinator for Heritage courses as well as an Illustrator and Photographer and travelled extensively to over 50 countries.
Ania's extensive archaeological and heritage experience have been gained on sites in the Near and Middle East: Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, U.A.E., Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Oman, Turkey; in South Asia: India and Bangladesh; in Africa: Sudan, Kenya, mainland Tanzania, Mafia Archipelago, Zanzibar archipelago, Madagascar, Lesotho; in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea: Greece, Italy, Montenegro, Ukraine; on numerous sites in the Northern and Western Europe including Belgium, UK and Poland; and recently in the pacific Region including in Australia, NSW and the Republic of Kiribati, Micronesia, Remote Oceania.
Ania's PhD research used tools such as geoarchaeology, geophysics, maritime archaeology, historical archives, spatial analysis and sedimentological techniques with an aim to explore major ancient ports of trade — with a case study site of Berenike Troglodytica — and associated infilled harbour basins around the coasts of the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. The results of this thesis lead to a better understanding of human adaptations to — and interaction with — the natural environment (including sea level change) and to elucidate mechanisms of far‐distance maritime trade in the Early Historic (Pre‐Islamic) period.
She is a member of archaeological expeditions and projects:
- Berenike Excavations Project, Egypt
- The Joint Expedition to Chhim and Jiyeh, Lebanon
- The Sealinks Project, East Africa
- France-Bangladesh Joint Venture Excavations at Mahasthangarh, Bangladesh
----------------------------------
Potential supervision areas:
- Cultural heritage protection and preservation / CH at risk of conflict and natural disaster
- Digital Heritage
- Illicit trade of antiquities
- Maritime Archaeology and Ancient Seafaring
- Quaternary coastal changes
- Archaeological Science
- Ancient landscapes reconstruction, Geoarchaeology
- Human adaptations to changing landscapes and environments
- Rise of global economy, global acculturation and history of the Middle East, Africa and South/Southeast Asia
---------------------------------------------------
Phone: +61 2 4221 36 82
Address: Centre for Archeological Science
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences
Bldg 41, Office G.04 D
1 Northfields Avenue
2500, Wollongong
NSW, Australia
Ania has previously held a post of a Lecturer in Archaeology and Ancient History at Macquarie University, Sydney and a Lecturer in Archaeology at the University of Wollongong. She holds a PhD from the University of Oxford, UK in Archaeology (specialisations: Archaeological Science and Roman Archaeology) and MPhil from Jagiellonian University, Poland in Archaeology. She has also studied Anthropology and Comparative Religion Studies as well as Ancient History.
She is an experienced Field and Underwater Archaeologist (Research and Consultancy), Geoarchaeologist, Site Director and Heritage and Museums Consultant with experience working in over 25 countries. Ania has also professionally worked as a Course Coordinator for Heritage courses as well as an Illustrator and Photographer and travelled extensively to over 50 countries.
Ania's extensive archaeological and heritage experience have been gained on sites in the Near and Middle East: Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, U.A.E., Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Oman, Turkey; in South Asia: India and Bangladesh; in Africa: Sudan, Kenya, mainland Tanzania, Mafia Archipelago, Zanzibar archipelago, Madagascar, Lesotho; in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea: Greece, Italy, Montenegro, Ukraine; on numerous sites in the Northern and Western Europe including Belgium, UK and Poland; and recently in the pacific Region including in Australia, NSW and the Republic of Kiribati, Micronesia, Remote Oceania.
Ania's PhD research used tools such as geoarchaeology, geophysics, maritime archaeology, historical archives, spatial analysis and sedimentological techniques with an aim to explore major ancient ports of trade — with a case study site of Berenike Troglodytica — and associated infilled harbour basins around the coasts of the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. The results of this thesis lead to a better understanding of human adaptations to — and interaction with — the natural environment (including sea level change) and to elucidate mechanisms of far‐distance maritime trade in the Early Historic (Pre‐Islamic) period.
She is a member of archaeological expeditions and projects:
- Berenike Excavations Project, Egypt
- The Joint Expedition to Chhim and Jiyeh, Lebanon
- The Sealinks Project, East Africa
- France-Bangladesh Joint Venture Excavations at Mahasthangarh, Bangladesh
----------------------------------
Potential supervision areas:
- Cultural heritage protection and preservation / CH at risk of conflict and natural disaster
- Digital Heritage
- Illicit trade of antiquities
- Maritime Archaeology and Ancient Seafaring
- Quaternary coastal changes
- Archaeological Science
- Ancient landscapes reconstruction, Geoarchaeology
- Human adaptations to changing landscapes and environments
- Rise of global economy, global acculturation and history of the Middle East, Africa and South/Southeast Asia
---------------------------------------------------
Phone: +61 2 4221 36 82
Address: Centre for Archeological Science
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences
Bldg 41, Office G.04 D
1 Northfields Avenue
2500, Wollongong
NSW, Australia
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Books by Ania Kotarba-Morley
activity as it lacks natural topographic features that could
be used as harbours; there are only a few suitable bays for
landing along its coasts, where wadi mouths allow for a
break in the reef. However, experiencing seasonally
variable winds and currents, parts of the Red Sea constituted
favourable marine environments for sea voyaging,
contact and trade for millennia. This paper focuses on the
influence that the local environmental and climatic context
(including land- and sea-scape), had on the location,
development, and ultimate success or decline of key
Classical (Greco-Roman) ports of trade on the Red Sea
coast, most pertinently those involved in exchange on the
Spice, Incense and Maritime Silk Routes. The importance
of changes in geomorphological, climatic, landscape and
sea level configurations that led to the alternation of these
human-adapted landscapes will be discussed within the
new theoretical framework of ‘Parameters of Attractiveness’
developed whilst focusing on a case study, the
Greco-Roman port town of Berenike Troglodytica on the
southern Red Sea coast of Egypt. These parameters—
grouped into 4 main categories: Sea, Land, Resources, and
Socio-Economic and Political—were designed in order to
statistically quantify the attractiveness of particular sites
along the rims of the Red Sea for use as trade ports.
Given the importance of the port over almost a millennium it is perhaps surprising that very little is known about the different factors impacting on the foundation, evolution, heyday and subsequent decline of the city; or the size, shape, and capacity of its harbour. The intention of this research is to address this shortfall in our knowledge, to examine the drivers behind the rise and fall of this port city, and to explore the extent to which the dynamics of the physical landscape were integral to this story. Using an innovative Earth Science approach, changes in the archaeological 'coastscape' have been reconstructed and correlated with periods of occupation and abandonment of the port, shedding light on the nature, degree and directionality of human-environment interactions at the site. This work has revealed profound changes in the configuration of the coastal landscape and environment (including the sea level) during the lifespan of Berenike, highlighting the ability of people to exploit changes in their immediate environment, and demonstrating that, ultimately, the decline of the port was partly due to these landscape dynamics.
To further explore these themes the landscape reconstructions have been supplemented by semi-quantitative analyses of a suite of variables likely to influence the initial siting of new ports of trade. These have shown that although the site of Berenike was ideal in terms of its coastal landscape potential, possessing a natural sheltered bay and lagoon system, the choice of location was not solely influenced by its environmental conditions. Additionally, a detailed review of vessels that plied Red Sea and Indian Ocean routes is presented here in order to better understand the design and functioning of Berenike’s harbour. This serves the purpose of identifying unifying features that provide more detail about the size and draught of vessels and the potential capacity of the harbour basin.
By using this multi-scalar approach it has been possible to reconstruct the 'coastscape' of the site through the key periods of its occupancy and those phases immediately before and after its operation. This has wide-ranging implications for researchers studying ancient ports along this trade network as a larger database will tease out more details about how influential the landscape was in the initial siting of the port and its subsequent use and decline.
Papers by Ania Kotarba-Morley
Despite a great deal of research undertaken by historians, archaeologists and other maritime scholars, there remains a rather poor understanding of the design and construction of ships that sailed the Red Sea and Indian Ocean in antiquity. Similarly, there are few indications as to whether any unifying features existed that made them particularly suited to sailing in monsoonal conditions or within enclosed sea basins, or both. This kind of information is important to gain a deeper understanding of the types of boats used to carry cargo over long-distance trade routes in these pioneering times, early on in the shift to a globalised economy. It could also provide indirect evidence for port and harbour infrastructure available along these routes. This paper will evaluate the current state of knowledge concerning the types of vessels that plied the Red Sea and Indian Ocean trade routes from the Ptolemaic to the Roman period.
offers exceptional insights. Unusually good preservation has left the remains of pits
and postholes, indicating the construction of temporary shelters and specialised functional zones. The Affad 23 community successfully exploited a wide range of riverine resources, and created a highly organised seasonal camp adjacent to convenient, resource-rich hunting grounds. Surprisingly, they continued to exploit Levallois-like tools, rather than adopting the new technologies (e.g. microliths) that were then evolving in Upper Egypt.
While the importance of the sea and small offshore islands
to the development of urbanized and mercantile Swahili societies has long been recognized, the formative stages of island colonisation—and in particular the processes by which migrating Iron Age groups essentially became “maritime”—are still relatively poorly understood. Here
we present the results of recent archaeological fieldwork in the Mafia Archipelago, which aims to understand these early adaptations and situate them within a longer-term trajectory of island settlement and pre-Swahili cultural developments. We focus on the results of zoo archaeological, archaeobotanical, and material culture studies relating to early subsistence and trade on this island to explore the changing significance of marine resources to the local economy. We also discuss
the implications of these maritime adaptations for the development of local and long-distance Indian Ocean trade networks.
Alison Crowther, Patrick Faulkner, Mary E. Prendergast, Erendira M. Quintana Morales, Mark Horton, Edwin Wilmsen, Anna M. Kotarba-Morley, Annalisa Christie, Nik Petek, Ruth Tibesasa, Katerina Douka, Llorencc¸ Picornell-Gelabert, Xavier Carah, and Nicole Boivin
Kotarba-Morley AM, J Sarsfield, J Hastings, J Bradshaw and PN Fiske (2013). Building Blocks of the Lost Past: Game Engines and Inaccessible Archaeological Sites. In: Earl G, T Sly, A Chrysanthi, P Murrieta-Flores, C Papadopoulos, I Romanowska and D Wheatley (Eds.), Archaeology in the Digital Era, Vol. 2, Amsterdam University Press, 949-960.
Based on the facts and opinions discussed in this paper it can hardly be confirmed with any degree of certainty that the inscription from Rhamnous defines Antigonos Gonatas – King of Macedon as a Saviour and Benefactor of demos of Athenians. This sacrifice had been granted by the demos of Rhamnous between 255 and 236/235 B.C and according to it, king Antigonos was worshipped there with the goddess Nemesis during Games Nemeia, and has been honoured as an equal to Gods. He was eliminated from the cult of Nemesis about 225/224.
The fact that Antigonos Gonatas favoured tyrants in cities of Peloponnese did not prevent him from being considered worthy of cult honours in Athens, or in the Aegaeis, or in other places. There is no evidence that any Hellenistic king ever discouraged such a public opinion or refused to accept such honours voted for him. Therefore commonly agreed association of Antigonos Gonatas being the only exception should, in light of arguments presented in this paper, be rejected."
Talks by Ania Kotarba-Morley
activity as it lacks natural topographic features that could
be used as harbours; there are only a few suitable bays for
landing along its coasts, where wadi mouths allow for a
break in the reef. However, experiencing seasonally
variable winds and currents, parts of the Red Sea constituted
favourable marine environments for sea voyaging,
contact and trade for millennia. This paper focuses on the
influence that the local environmental and climatic context
(including land- and sea-scape), had on the location,
development, and ultimate success or decline of key
Classical (Greco-Roman) ports of trade on the Red Sea
coast, most pertinently those involved in exchange on the
Spice, Incense and Maritime Silk Routes. The importance
of changes in geomorphological, climatic, landscape and
sea level configurations that led to the alternation of these
human-adapted landscapes will be discussed within the
new theoretical framework of ‘Parameters of Attractiveness’
developed whilst focusing on a case study, the
Greco-Roman port town of Berenike Troglodytica on the
southern Red Sea coast of Egypt. These parameters—
grouped into 4 main categories: Sea, Land, Resources, and
Socio-Economic and Political—were designed in order to
statistically quantify the attractiveness of particular sites
along the rims of the Red Sea for use as trade ports.
Given the importance of the port over almost a millennium it is perhaps surprising that very little is known about the different factors impacting on the foundation, evolution, heyday and subsequent decline of the city; or the size, shape, and capacity of its harbour. The intention of this research is to address this shortfall in our knowledge, to examine the drivers behind the rise and fall of this port city, and to explore the extent to which the dynamics of the physical landscape were integral to this story. Using an innovative Earth Science approach, changes in the archaeological 'coastscape' have been reconstructed and correlated with periods of occupation and abandonment of the port, shedding light on the nature, degree and directionality of human-environment interactions at the site. This work has revealed profound changes in the configuration of the coastal landscape and environment (including the sea level) during the lifespan of Berenike, highlighting the ability of people to exploit changes in their immediate environment, and demonstrating that, ultimately, the decline of the port was partly due to these landscape dynamics.
To further explore these themes the landscape reconstructions have been supplemented by semi-quantitative analyses of a suite of variables likely to influence the initial siting of new ports of trade. These have shown that although the site of Berenike was ideal in terms of its coastal landscape potential, possessing a natural sheltered bay and lagoon system, the choice of location was not solely influenced by its environmental conditions. Additionally, a detailed review of vessels that plied Red Sea and Indian Ocean routes is presented here in order to better understand the design and functioning of Berenike’s harbour. This serves the purpose of identifying unifying features that provide more detail about the size and draught of vessels and the potential capacity of the harbour basin.
By using this multi-scalar approach it has been possible to reconstruct the 'coastscape' of the site through the key periods of its occupancy and those phases immediately before and after its operation. This has wide-ranging implications for researchers studying ancient ports along this trade network as a larger database will tease out more details about how influential the landscape was in the initial siting of the port and its subsequent use and decline.
Despite a great deal of research undertaken by historians, archaeologists and other maritime scholars, there remains a rather poor understanding of the design and construction of ships that sailed the Red Sea and Indian Ocean in antiquity. Similarly, there are few indications as to whether any unifying features existed that made them particularly suited to sailing in monsoonal conditions or within enclosed sea basins, or both. This kind of information is important to gain a deeper understanding of the types of boats used to carry cargo over long-distance trade routes in these pioneering times, early on in the shift to a globalised economy. It could also provide indirect evidence for port and harbour infrastructure available along these routes. This paper will evaluate the current state of knowledge concerning the types of vessels that plied the Red Sea and Indian Ocean trade routes from the Ptolemaic to the Roman period.
offers exceptional insights. Unusually good preservation has left the remains of pits
and postholes, indicating the construction of temporary shelters and specialised functional zones. The Affad 23 community successfully exploited a wide range of riverine resources, and created a highly organised seasonal camp adjacent to convenient, resource-rich hunting grounds. Surprisingly, they continued to exploit Levallois-like tools, rather than adopting the new technologies (e.g. microliths) that were then evolving in Upper Egypt.
While the importance of the sea and small offshore islands
to the development of urbanized and mercantile Swahili societies has long been recognized, the formative stages of island colonisation—and in particular the processes by which migrating Iron Age groups essentially became “maritime”—are still relatively poorly understood. Here
we present the results of recent archaeological fieldwork in the Mafia Archipelago, which aims to understand these early adaptations and situate them within a longer-term trajectory of island settlement and pre-Swahili cultural developments. We focus on the results of zoo archaeological, archaeobotanical, and material culture studies relating to early subsistence and trade on this island to explore the changing significance of marine resources to the local economy. We also discuss
the implications of these maritime adaptations for the development of local and long-distance Indian Ocean trade networks.
Alison Crowther, Patrick Faulkner, Mary E. Prendergast, Erendira M. Quintana Morales, Mark Horton, Edwin Wilmsen, Anna M. Kotarba-Morley, Annalisa Christie, Nik Petek, Ruth Tibesasa, Katerina Douka, Llorencc¸ Picornell-Gelabert, Xavier Carah, and Nicole Boivin
Kotarba-Morley AM, J Sarsfield, J Hastings, J Bradshaw and PN Fiske (2013). Building Blocks of the Lost Past: Game Engines and Inaccessible Archaeological Sites. In: Earl G, T Sly, A Chrysanthi, P Murrieta-Flores, C Papadopoulos, I Romanowska and D Wheatley (Eds.), Archaeology in the Digital Era, Vol. 2, Amsterdam University Press, 949-960.
Based on the facts and opinions discussed in this paper it can hardly be confirmed with any degree of certainty that the inscription from Rhamnous defines Antigonos Gonatas – King of Macedon as a Saviour and Benefactor of demos of Athenians. This sacrifice had been granted by the demos of Rhamnous between 255 and 236/235 B.C and according to it, king Antigonos was worshipped there with the goddess Nemesis during Games Nemeia, and has been honoured as an equal to Gods. He was eliminated from the cult of Nemesis about 225/224.
The fact that Antigonos Gonatas favoured tyrants in cities of Peloponnese did not prevent him from being considered worthy of cult honours in Athens, or in the Aegaeis, or in other places. There is no evidence that any Hellenistic king ever discouraged such a public opinion or refused to accept such honours voted for him. Therefore commonly agreed association of Antigonos Gonatas being the only exception should, in light of arguments presented in this paper, be rejected."