Down by the Water is an interdisciplinary seminar series and research initiative that explores the role of waterways in human societies from prehistory to the present. Rivers, lakes, seas, and oceans have long acted as spaces of interaction, exchange, and knowledge transmission, shaping social organisation, mobility, and cultural connections across regions and periods. The project places particular emphasis on human–environment relationships in maritime, fluvial, and lacustrine contexts.

Building on earlier interdisciplinary initiatives on water transit points and watery landscapes, the seminar series provides a platform for current research in maritime history, archaeology, anthropology, ethnography, and related fields. It brings together scholars working on diverse geographic and temporal contexts to examine how watery spaces influence human action, connectivity, and resilience.

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The project is hosted online, using digital space as a metaphor for watery networks that connect people across distance. Virtual seminars offer an open forum to present and discuss ongoing research on maritime-related topics worldwide, encouraging dialogue across disciplines and perspectives.

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