The Sea-Craft of Prehistory - Hardcover

Johnstone, Paul

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1138177571 ISBN 13: 9781138177574

Publisher: Routledge, 2016

Synopsis

The nautical dimension of prehistory has not so far received the attention it deserves. It is also too often assumed that early man was land bound, yet this is demonstrably not the case. Recent research has shown that man travelled and tracked over greater distances and at a much earlier date than has previously been thought possible. Some of these facts can be explained only by man's mastery of water transport from earliest times. This book, by an acknowledged expert on prehistoric sea-craft, examines these problems looking at the new archaeological information in the light of the author's nautical knowledge. The result is a detailed account of man's use of inland and ocean-going craft from earliest times until the dawn of recorded history. All forms of evidence are critically assessed, from the vessels of Ancient Egypt to the Chinese junk, to present of comprehensive picture of the vessels men have built through the ages, and of the variety of ways in which they have been used.

About this title

About the Author

Professor Sean McGrail served in the Royal Navy as a seaman officer from 1946 to 1968; from 1952 he flew as a pilot in the Fleet Air Arm. He graduated with a BA at the University of Bristol in 1971, and in 1978 gained a Ph.D. at University College, London with a thesis on The Logboats of England and Wales. In 1988 he was awarded a D.Sc. by the University of Oxford. Professor McGrail was Chief Archaeologist at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich from 1974 to 1986, and Professor of Maritime Archaeology in the Institute of Archaeology, Oxford from 1986 to 1993. Since 1993 he has been Visiting Professor at the University of Southampton.

Review

`A fascinating and inspiring overview, which no student of archaeology should fail to read' - Bulletin of the Institute of Archaeology

Edition details

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1138177571
• ISBN 13: 9781138177574
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288