Ancient Sailing Season

James Beresford, DPhil in Archaeology, University of Oxford, is currently Assistant Professor at Lahore University of Management Sciences. Before lecturing in Pakistan he was editor of Minerva: The International Review of Ancient Art & Archaeology. He has also taught in Japan, the United Arab Emirates as well as the United Kingdom.

• List of IllustrationsIntroduction: The State of Modern ScholarshipChapter 1The Textual EvidenceChapter 2 The Mediterranean Climatic RegimeChapter 3Ships and SailsChapter 4NavigationChapter 5The Sailing Season of the Indian OceanChapter 6Ancient Pirates and FishermenConclusionTranslated WorksReferencesIndex

"This is a well-written, well-informed study of what might seem an unrewarding subject. (...) It is absorbing and even entertaining to read."A.J. Parker, International Journal of Nautical Archaeology (2013) 42.2:439."The great strength of this volume is its ability to see between the generalised views of traditional academia and to present the reader with the sheer variability in sailing conditions that existed across the Mediterranean. In assessing this variability, the clear conclusion is that we should change our view of the ancient sailing season to reflect the range of vessels, motives and weather conditions that were in existence in antiquity." Julian Whitewright, The Ancient History Bulletin, Volume 3 (2013), 72-74.“In überzeugender Weise ist es Beresford gelungen, die Vorstellungen vom mare clausum grundlegend zu revidieren. Ein mare clausum gab es nicht, bestenfalls eine gewisse Reduktion des Schiffsverkehrs. Desweiteren kann er zeigen, dass Fahrten über das offene Meer absolut möglich waren und künftig in der Diskusssion um den Seehandel der Antike stärker berücksichtigt werden müssen.” Christoph Schäfer, sehepunkte 13 (2013), Nr. 12 [15.12.2013].