News Archive

The Jewel of Muscat – The excavation, recreation and sailing of a 9th century sewn-plant ship

The discovery in 1998 of a ninth-century shipwreck with a fabulous cargo, the world’s first Arab/Indian style sewn-plank vessel found, led to the construction and sailing of a ship based on the shipwreck. This talk will highlight some of the astounding cargo, show the evidence used to reconstruct the ship, and illustrate aspects of the four-month sailing, without benefit of an engine, from Oman to Singapore.

About the Speaker

Tom (BA, MA, MFA, PhD) is a maritime archaeologist specializing in Arab ships of the western Indian Ocean and Arabian Gulf. He led annual maritime-focused expeditions to Oman from 1992- 2002, then lived and worked in Oman full-time from 2003 through 2010. Prior to that he supervised in Sur the construction of Tim Severin’s sewn boom Sohar and sailed aboard from Oman to China in 1980-1981. He also supervised the construction of the Bronze Age Magan boat and was construction director for the medieval Jewel of Muscat sewn-plank ship in Oman. A research associate at the Western Australian Maritime Museum, he has done maritime ethnographic research and archaeological excavation in Australia, Oman, the Philippines, the Maldives, India and Sri Lanka, and consulted on or helped build historic ships in Egypt, Greece, India, and Australia as well as Oman.

Tuesday 13th September 2016, Reid Library 2nd Floor Conference Room

Doors open 7:00pm – Talk commences 7:30pm

Cost: $5 donation (Free for Friends of the Library Members)