ABSTRACT

At last a paperback edition of this standard work on marine archaeology. Séan McGrail's study received exceptional critical acclaim when it was first published in hardback in 1987 and it is now revised and published in paperback for the first time. Professor McGrail provides an authoritative survey of water transport across Northern Europe from the Late Palaeolithic to the later Middle Ages, using evidence of excavations, but also documentary sources, iconographic and ethnographic evidence. In the process he answers such key questions as How were these boats built? What sort of environment were they used in? What speeds could they achieve? and how were they navigated?

chapter 1|3 pages

Introduction

chapter 2|8 pages

Types of water transport

chapter 3|11 pages

Stability and seaworthiness

chapter 4|21 pages

Trees and wood

chapter 5|11 pages

Log rafts

chapter 6|32 pages

Logboats

chapter 7|10 pages

Bark boats

chapter 8|65 pages

Wooden plank boats

chapter 9|10 pages

Bundle rafts and boats

chapter 10|19 pages

Hide boats and float rafts

chapter 11|11 pages

Assessment of performance

chapter 13|17 pages

Seamanship

chapter 14|11 pages

Pilotage and navigation