Ancient Maritime World VIII

International Workshop / Summer School 2025

The Strait of Messina

Crossroads of the Mediterranean, Volcanic Lighthouses, Home to Scylla and Charybdis

from/to Reggio di Calabria 

Sept 2025

Language: German/English

The Strait of Messina has been a crossroads of the ancient Mediterranean world and a melting pot of historical developments since the early Greek and Phoenician colonisation. Providing a direct link between the Ionian and Tyrrhenian Seas, the strait was of central importance for all interregional connections between the north-western and south-eastern Mediterranean and visible from afar to sailors thanks to the natural landmarks of Aitna and Stromboli. However, the passage itself presented a navigational challenge for centuries, and since Homeric times has been associated with the home of the sea creatures Scylla and Charybdis. 

In archaic and classical times, the Strait of Messina was also the heart of Magna Graecia, with its Greek settlements mainly located on the coast and a mostly non-Greek hinterland. Among numerous other poleis, Syracuse in particular developed into one of the largest cities of that time and, under the rule of Dionysius I, even became a maritime empire in the West. However, with the expansion of Roman power to southern Italy and Sicily, the balance of power around the strait changed fundamentally within a short period of time and for centuries to come. Culturally still Greek, Rome's political and military dominance brought considerable challenges to this region during the Republican period, such as the war against Hannibal, the slave revolts, the actions of Gaius Verres and those of Sextus Pompeius.

The beginning of the imperial era then marked the start of a long period of relative peace and prosperity, which only came to an end with the raids of the Vandals in the 5th century. The expansion of the Ostrogoths, the claim to power by the Eastern Roman Empire, and, in particular, the subsequent imperial ambitions of the Islamic-Arab world turned the former crossroads of the ancient Mediterranean world into a repeatedly contested border region for centuries to come.

Topics and places e.g.

Mycenaean traces in southern Italy and Sicily – Scylla and Charybdis – Odysseus and the Strait of Messina – Siculi and Bruttii – Greek colonies on the east coast of Sicily – Greek colonies in Bruttium – Syracuse, its fleet and ports – Athenian siege of Syracuse – Dionysius I and his empire – Plato in Syracuse – Agathocles and his empire – Pyrrhus in Sicily – Rhegion, Messana and the beginning of the First Punic War – Sicily in the First Punic War – Battle of Mylae – Hieroon II, Syracuse and his empire – Archimedes and the Roman siege of Syracuse – Hannibal and Bruttium – Rome's colonies and rule in Bruttium – Syracuse and Sicily as a Roman province – Sicilian slave revolt – Gaius Verres and Sicily – Sextus Pompeius and his Sicilian empire – Sicily as an imperial province – Spread of Christianity in southern Italy and Sicily – Vandals and Sicily – Ostrogoths and Sicily – Syracuse, Sicily and the Eastern Roman Empire – Islamic incursions into Sicily

Note: Travelling by sailing yacht offers a wide range of experiences and insights into the maritime world. It does not offer the comfort of a cruise trip and means living under simple conditions in a confined space. Participation can therefore mean getting out of one's comfort zone – mentally and physically.