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TINA

Maritime Archaeology Periodical

Fishing on land involves very little risk to life but exceptional navigational skills, a reliable boat, known
requires knowledge of fish behaviour and habitat (Fig. fishing grounds/fisheries, good knowledge of fish be-
13). haviour, effective use of fishing implements, and phys-
It can be very simple if small net bags are used, but ical strength.
if spears and harpoons are employed, it can be compli- All the more challenging is inferring the age and gen-
cated and require a great deal of experience, knowledge, der groups involved in these activities. If we examine
and well-developed motor skills. Hook-and-line fishing the imagery of fishing activities in the Aegean from
can likewise require experience, but if a favourable en- the Middle Bronze Age to the Classical period, or even
vironment is chosen, anyone with the necessary gear later, only young men were portrayed as fishermen and
can fish. Capturing large bluefin would be possible for divers . Many stamp seals from Minoan contexts de-
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people with developed skills, patience, and physical pict men holding two large fish, probably tunas, as a
strength. Normally, it takes a struggle of at least one popular motif. To the best of our knowledge, there is
hour to capture, control, and board bluefin when the no woman or child who is depicted in activities related
hook-and-line method is used . Deveciyan reports that to fishing. The artistic representations may be reflecting
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a fish hook designed specifically for the bluefin is 21 the actual state of affairs, where fishing of any type, but
cm long and made out of 6 mm thick steel wire . The especially fishing that was high-risk, such as capturing
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large hooks at Youra, with sizes longer than 35 mm for big and aggressive fish, was practiced by young, strong
instance, were probably produced specifically to cap- men. One may be tempted to define prehistoric fishing
ture seasonal bluefin tuna . For the use of dalyans and as a labor-intensive, outdoor, risky activity requiring
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other traps, the risk involved is only a little higher than physical strength.
on-land fishing, but this sort of engagement requires Although artistic imagery suggests that men, and
the involvement of 3-20 or more people acting in good men only, were practising fishing, we see that ethno-
coordination . A good knowledge of currents, fish be- graphic evidence suggests otherwise, however. There
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haviour, and weather is required. Also, in this type of are countless examples of women fishing in traditional
fishing, floats or boats are needed. Some sort of naviga- and modern societies . Women are reported engaging
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tion skill, although not much, is a must to divert the boat in shellfish gathering, as well as on-land, inshore, and
and close the trap when fish arrive. A well-established offshore fishing activities. For instance, in some parts of
division of labor among fishermen ensures a good catch. the Pacific (Solomon islands, Fiji, and Northern Mari-
Ideally, there would be watchers who tell others that anas), women conduct offshore fishing using nets, line,
shoals of fish are approaching. After trapping, killing and hooks . Apart from the fishing activity itself, wom-
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of the fish is done with fish spears or tridents, which en are actively involved in the production and mainte-
require a lot of physical strength, especially for the large nance of fishing gear and all sorts of post-harvest du-
and aggressive fish . ties, including processing, marketing, and trading. The
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Two facts emerge from our query: 1) offshore fish- contribution of women to small-scale fishery catches in
ing constitutes the most high-risk involvement with Asia is estimated to be above the contribution of men .
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the sea, and 2) it is barely visible in the archaeological In a nutshell, despite women’s clear global labor input
and faunal record. In addition, offshore fishing requires in fishing, their contribution has been and remains un-
excellent knowledge of weather and water conditions, acknowledged .
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82 MALINOWSKI 1984, 367.
83 ÇAKIrLAr 2009; KArALI 1999.
84 DEVECİYAN 2006, 48.
85 DEVECİYAN 2006, 377.
86 MOUNDrEA – AGrAFİOTİ 2011.
87 DEVECİYAN 2006, 316.
88 DEVECİYAN 2006; ErTAN 2010; MArZANO 2013.
89 see POWELL 1996, Catalogue.
90 see CHAO et al. 2002; CHOO et al. 2006; HArPEr et al. 2013; ZHAO et al. 2013.
91 HArPEr et al. 2013, 59.

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