Overview

Providing a comprehensive examination of the capacity of ancient ships and seafarers to cope with seasonally changing sea conditions, this book draws on a wide range of ancient literary sources while also taking account of modern weather records, hydrological data, and recent archaeological discoveries. Taking a fresh look at the various ways in which seasonality affected maritime transport across the sea-lanes of the ancient world, this book offers new perspectives on the nature of seaborne trade, naval warfare and piratical operations. The result is a volume that questions many long-held scholarly assumptions concerning the strength and seaworthiness of ancient vessels, as well as the abilities of Greek and Roman mariners, to regularly undertake voyages across hazardous stretches of sea.

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9789004223523

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Reviews

""This is a well-written, well-informed study of what might seem an unrewarding subject. (...) It is absorbing and even entertaining to read."" A.J. Parker, International Journal of Nautical Archaeology (2013) 42.2:439. ""The great strength of this volume is its ability to see between the generalised views of traditional academia and to present the reader with the sheer variability in sailing conditions that existed across the Mediterranean. In assessing this variability, the clear conclusion is that we should change our view of the ancient sailing season to reflect the range of vessels, motives and weather conditions that were in existence in antiquity."" Julian Whitewright, The Ancient History Bulletin, Volume 3 (2013), 72-74. “In überzeugender Weise ist es Beresford gelungen, die Vorstellungen vom mare clausum grundlegend zu revidieren. Ein mare clausum gab es nicht, bestenfalls eine gewisse Reduktion des Schiffsverkehrs. Desweiteren kann er zeigen, dass Fahrten über das offene Meer absolut möglich waren und künftig in der Diskusssion um den Seehandel der Antike stärker berücksichtigt werden müssen.” Christoph Schäfer, sehepunkte 13 (2013), Nr. 12 [15.12.2013].

This is a well-written, well-informed study of what might seem an unrewarding subject. (...) It is absorbing and even entertaining to read. A.J. Parker, International Journal of Nautical Archaeology (2013) 42.2:439. The great strength of this volume is its ability to see between the generalised views of traditional academia and to present the reader with the sheer variability in sailing conditions that existed across the Mediterranean. In assessing this variability, the clear conclusion is that we should change our view of the ancient sailing season to reflect the range of vessels, motives and weather conditions that were in existence in antiquity. Julian Whitewright, The Ancient History Bulletin, Volume 3 (2013), 72-74.

This is a well-written, well-informed study of what might seem an unrewarding subject. (...) It is absorbing and even entertaining to read. A.J. Parker, International Journal of Nautical Archaeology (2013) 42.2:439. The great strength of this volume is its ability to see between the generalised views of traditional academia and to present the reader with the sheer variability in sailing conditions that existed across the Mediterranean. In assessing this variability, the clear conclusion is that we should change our view of the ancient sailing season to reflect the range of vessels, motives and weather conditions that were in existence in antiquity. Julian Whitewright, The Ancient History Bulletin, Volume 3 (2013), 72-74. In uberzeugender Weise ist es Beresford gelungen, die Vorstellungen vom mare clausum grundlegend zu revidieren. Ein mare clausum gab es nicht, bestenfalls eine gewisse Reduktion des Schiffsverkehrs. Desweiteren kann er zeigen, dass Fahrten uber das offene Meer absolut moglich waren und kunftig in der Diskusssion um den Seehandel der Antike starker berucksichtigt werden mussen. Christoph Schafer, sehepunkte 13 (2013), Nr. 12 [15.12.2013].

Author Information

James Beresford, DPhil in Archaeology, University of Oxford, is currently Assistant Professor at Lahore University of Management Sciences. Before lecturing in Pakistan he was editor of Minerva: The International Review of Ancient Art & Archaeology. He has also taught in Japan, the United Arab Emirates as well as the United Kingdom.

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