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The Maritime History of the Mediterranean
A long view of Mediterranean seafaring, from Bronze Age traders, Phoenicians, Greeks and Romans to medieval galley fleets, the Suez Canal and modern shipping.
Seas and Oceans
Enclosed and nearly enclosed seas and their trade.
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A long view of Mediterranean seafaring, from Bronze Age traders, Phoenicians, Greeks and Romans to medieval galley fleets, the Suez Canal and modern shipping.
How the lateen-rigged dhow developed, from sewn-plank hulls to nailed construction, and how it carried cargo on the monsoon from Arabia to East Africa and India.
How Venice and Ragusa dominated the Adriatic, from galley warfare and the Uskok raiders to the sea's role as a medieval trade corridor linking Italy and the Balkans.
From Viking-age river routes to Hanseatic cogs and the naval rivalry of Denmark, Sweden and Russia, a history of Hanseatic Baltic trade and the sea's changing powers.
A history of Black Sea ports from Greek colonies and Genoese trading stations to Ottoman control, the Straits and the sea as a Russian naval theatre.
How Caspian shipping developed in a closed sea: Volga trade links, Baku oil and early tankers, sturgeon fisheries, and the sea in Russian and Persian history.
A history of the North Sea herring trade, Dutch and English rivalry, wreck-prone coasts and the later shipping, oil and wind industries of this busy shelf sea.
How the Gulf became a hub linking Mesopotamia, India and East Africa, from Dilmun and dhow trade to the pearl diving fleets and the oil tanker age.
A history of Red Sea navigation from Pharaonic Punt voyages and Roman Indian trade to pilgrim and spice routes and the transformation caused by the Suez Canal.
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