Sailing into the past : learning from replica ships
Practical knowledge of the ships of the distant past has been hugely enhanced in recent years by the building of replicas and reconstructions, vessels either based on extant plans or built using archaeological evidence. Before they were launched we could, for instance, only surmise as to the weatherliness of a Viking ship or the speed of a Greek trireme under oars. The building of accurate replicas of these and other types has changed all that, and what has now been learned about the boats and ships of our ancestors has radiacally altered our perceptions of sailing and voyaging in earlier periods. This beautifully illustrated book charts those discoveries. A number of the world's leading authorities who have been involved in the research, building and sailing of some of the most significant replicas explain how particular ships came into being, and describe what was learned when their ships were taken to sea and theory turned to practice. It is a fascinating story that explains how the experiences of our seafaring forbears have been brought to life for present-day sailors, historians, and archaeologists. --back cover
Print Book, English, 2009
Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Md., 2009