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The Evolution of Ancient Shipbuilding Techniques
How ancient hull building developed from reed bundles and sewn planks to mortise-and-tenon shells and, later, frame-first construction, based on surviving wrecks.
Maritime history
Boats and ships, told through time.
A plain-language guide to the history of boats and ships, from ancient reed craft to steamers, yachts and lifeboats.
200 in-depth guides 20 topics Oct 2026 latest guide
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The Role of Boats in Ancient Trade and Commerce
A comparison of the cargoes, ports and ship types that carried trade across Egypt, Mesopotamia, the Aegean and the wider Mediterranean in the ancient world.
The Age of Exploration: Maritime Innovations
How the caravel, compass, astrolabe, portolan charts and latitude sailing made the long ocean voyages of the 1400s and 1500s possible.
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.
The Maritime History of the Atlantic
How the Atlantic went from a barrier to a highway: Norse landfalls, Columbus-era crossings, the forced migration of the slave trade and the age of the liner.
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Origins and Exploration
Ancient builders, traders and the voyages that opened the world.
Ancient Shipbuilding How early peoples built hulls and rigs. 7 guides Ancient Trade and Voyages Cargoes and expeditions of the earliest maritime civilizations. 8 guides Exploration and Empire Ships of discovery, piracy, survey and the industrial age. 8 guides Polar and Scientific Voyages Ships sent to the ice and to the unmapped deep. 10 guides Trading Companies and Sea Routes Chartered companies and the routes that linked continents. 10 guides
Seas and Oceans
The histories of the waters ships sailed on.
Sailing Craft
Rigs, yachts, canoes and small boats driven by wind and muscle.
Working and Powered Boats
Barges, fishing craft, steamers, submarines and rescue boats.
Naval Power and Warfare
Warships, fleets and the sea battles that shaped nations.
Seafaring Life and Navigation
How sailors navigated, lived, were lost and are remembered.
Navigation and Instruments The tools and methods that let ships cross open water. 10 guides Ports and Harbours Harbours, dockyards and the people who worked them. 10 guides Life at Sea Daily life, customs and hardships aboard ship. 10 guides Shipwrecks and Maritime Disasters Famous losses and the rules and reforms they led to. 10 guides Ship Archaeology and Preservation Finding, studying and keeping historic vessels. 10 guides