The Ancient Mariners

The Seafarers

by Colin Thubron, John Horace Parry (Consultant), Lionel Casson (Consultant)

This volume in The Seafarers series surveys the various seafarers of the ancient world, including Greece and Rome, their ships, trade, and battles at sea.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

176 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1981

About the author

Colin Thubron, CBE FRSL is a Man Booker nominated British travel writer and novelist.

In 2008, The Times ranked him 45th on their list of the 50 greatest postwar British writers. He is a contributor to The New York Review of Books, The Times, The Times Literary Supplement and The New York Times. His books have been translated into more than twenty languages. Thubron was appointed a CBE in the 2007 New Year Honours. He is a Fellow and, as of 2010, President of the Royal Society of Literature.

Reviews

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

The noted travel writer, Colin Thubron, takes a long historical view of navies and merchant navies from ancient Egypt to the Roman Empire in a volume from The Seafarers, published by Time-Life in the 1980’s. He glides through the centuries covering various aspects of the evolution of seapower, sailing, ship construction, sailors, significant battles and sea trade through the centuries. Fabulous illustrations and photos accompanying the text, relevant side stories interspersed throughout and lots of maps make for a very enjoyable read.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

An informative yet easy to read look at the birth and growth of sailing in the Mediterranean. I wish it also included other parts of the world, especially the far east, but this is still very interesting. After all, who knew the Greeks were once just a bunch of pirates and that the Egyptians build increasingly useless super-ships with thousands of rowers?

[J.f. Dargon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well researched, and extremely informative; this book details the history of the Mediterranean sea trade through the use of archaelogical finds, period art and sculpture, and the historic record. It is a must read for anyone interested in the metamorphosis of sea travel, naval engagements, and trade, and their impacts upon Western man's political evolution. I recommend this book to anyone interested in the development of sea power and the means taken to achieve it in the ancient Western world.

[spike marlin · Rating 4.75 out of 5]

This is the first volume of the series the Seafarers. I enjoyed this book like I do all of the Time-Life series. It starts with the Egyptians, then moves on to the Greeks, and ends with the Romans. Included are the descriptions of major battles, personalities, and the culture of ship building and maritime trade in each of those civilizations. Of course the book would not be complete without a the usual wide array of artifacts, sidebars, and art from both the eras mentioned and from later. Always an enjoyable read.

[Diego · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un libro muy bello, muy bien ilustrado con mapas, mosaicos y artefactos arqueológicos. Esta compuesto de 5 ensayos que se centran en la evolución de la navegación en el mar Mediterráneo desde la edad de bronce hasta la caída del imperio romano oriental en 1453. Los ensayos son magníficos, las viñetas con información sobre los barcos y su tecnología son muy divertidas. Un gran libro.

[Brisio · Rating 4 out of 5]

La porzione dedicata alla battaglia di Salamina è uno spettacolo. Edizione di pregio recuperata nella casa al mare, una chicca