Dr. Lucy Blue is a senior lecturer in maritime archaeology at the University of Southampton as well as the Maritime Archaeological Director at the Honor Frost Foundation. Lucy completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Manchester in Combined Studies and went on to graduate from the University of Oxford in 1996 with a DPhil in Maritime Archaeology. Her doctoral research focused upon the study of Bronze Age harbors and maritime routes of trade in the eastern Mediterranean.
Lucy’s research interests largely focus around maritime activities relating to the western Indian Ocean, the Gulf, the Red Sea and the eastern Mediterranean. Her research addresses issues of connectivity between these regions both in terms of trade but also in relation to maritime landscapes and the means of connectivity, the boat. Research in to contemporary boat construction and use has also led to her conducting ethnographic studies in India, East Africa, Oman and Yemen.
Dr. Lucy Blue looking out over the sea in Lebanon. Image courtesy Crystal el Safadi
More recently Lucy has devoted time to build capacity with respect to underwater cultural heritage, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa. She helped to establish the University of Alexandria’s Centre for Maritime Archaeology and Underwater Cultural Heritage, and more recently in collaboration with the University of Ulster, direct the MarEAMENA Project (Endangered Archaeology in the MENA regional coastal and maritime zone).
As the Maritime Archaeological Director at the Honor Frost Foundation she has also been instrumental in helping students and researchers from the eastern Mediterranean, providing valuable guidance and expert knowledge, helping to develop projects, supervise scholarships and establish workshops and conferences focused on building capacity and developing the discipline of maritime archaeology.
Lucy is a Vice President of the Nautical Archaeology Society and a fellow of the Antiquaries and the Royal Geographical Society. Lucy has also presented documentaries relating to underwater cultural heritage for the BBC and has published over 50 articles and volumes relating to maritime archaeology.
Post by Lauren Tidbury, Honor Frost foundation @LVTidbury
Portrait image courtesy Lucy Blue and used with permission.
