Sailing stony seas: Ship graffiti on Malta

For cultures that depend on the sea for survival, ships serve as a crucial means of undertaking voyages, transportation, and trade. Yet the same vessels that create essential networks of connectivity can also become a major threat when used for warfare or piracy. This range of roles meant that ships sometimes elicited very different reactions from terrestrial viewers in the past. People may have rejoiced as a vessel appeared on the horizon, knowing that it carried desirable goods or ferried loved ones safely home. In unsettled times, though, that initial glimpse of a ship could be the first warning of an impending attack. Sailors on board the ships would have entertained yet another range of