Seafaring and Civilisation: Maritime Perspectives on World History

by Philip de Souza

Philip de Souza presents the history of the sea as a medium for the development and expansion of human society and 'civilization', viewing both the positive and negative impact. The narrative and argument is organized under the following broad * Navigation - from 'log boats' to supertankers * Trade - wheat and the Ancient Greeks or slaves to the Americas * Maritime empires * Religion - whether the expansion of Buddhism or Christian missionary initiatives * Food and health * Environment

Genres: History

160 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Dr. Philip de Souza is a Dublin-based academic author and historian and has written widely on warfare and conflict in the Ancient World. He is a lecturer in the School of Classics at University College Dublin.

Reviews

[Ivan Savić · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is not bad, it has basic information, it's well writen, but I expected more details. It covers ships and navigation, trade routes, naval empires, religion mostly general but kinda spreading by sea aspect, food and health impact on the world. Basicaly the whole book can bi summarised in like 10 pages like it did in 6th chapter Conclustion.

[Dennison Berwick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Today we take ships and shipping for granted and are far more impressed by the size of an oil tanker or the container ship bringing our latest "must-have" gadget than the extraordinary system of shipbuilding, navigation, cargo handling and trade networks that demand and pay for such behemoths. And we are even less aware of the importance and role that shipping has played in human history and the spread of people, foods, diseases and technologies around the globe. This book provides a useful overview of the subject.It is not a panegyric on the heroics of seafarers, but a straightforward summary of how trade routes developed across the oceans of the world to bring the potato to come to Europe and six million slaves to the New World from Africa, for example. The book was written to accompany the 70th Anglo-American Conference of Historians at the Institite of Historical Research, University of London, the theme of which was "the Sea". This more academic context is both the strength and weakness of the book.

The historical overview is perhaps more balanced and even handed that is often the case with books aimed at the popular market. For example, de Souza gives ample coverage to Asia, a subject frequently almost totally omitted from most Western books on any subject until recently. (I remember opening a book on the history of philosophy to discover not a single mention of schools of thought in Asia.)

However, perhaps precisely because it is not aimed at the general reader, Seafaring and Civilization lacks a strong narrative drive . De Souza is reciting a chronicle of events - not telling a story. There is an enormous difference. The chronicler recites one fact, one event after another. The storyteller uses the same information as the bricks or the building blocks to present an overarching story. Chronicles avoid the distortion inherent in proposing that there is any overarching narrative to simple events. The storyteller fascinates readers or listeners by playing on our natural curiosity to know what happened next.

For example, why did little countries such as Portugal, Holland and Britain become such powerful imperial nations? De Souza asks the question, in the book's conclusion, but fails to adequately answer his own question. The result is that his historical survey looses much of the impact it might have had. A week after finishing the book, I can't recall more than a few facts.

Fro more reviews, essays and stories, please visit my website:
Serendipities of a Writer's Life www.dennisonberwick.info