World Hotels - Geography, Technology, and War: Studies in the Maritime History of the Mediterranean, 649-1571 (Past and Present Publications)

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Binding: Paperback Dewey Decimal Number: 387.5091638 EAN: 9780521428927 ISBN: 0521428920 Label: Cambridge University Press Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 264 Publication Date: 1992-05-29 Publisher: Cambridge University Press Studio: Cambridge University Press
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Editorial Reviews: When maritime transport and communication depended on muscle and wind-power, the Mediterranean Sea functioned as a symbiotic force between the civilisations which surrounded it, at once the major dividing barrier and the major connecting element. In this study, the technological limitations of maritime traffic are considered in conjunction with the peculiar geographical conditions within which it operated, and which led to the establishment of major sea lanes on trunk routes along which traffic could move safely, efficiently, and economically. These trunk routes remained virtually unchanged from antiquity to the sixteenth century, and eventually constituted economic and strategic maritime frontiers between civilisations. At the same time, the technological limitations of the oared galley meant that coasts and islands along the trunk routes had also to be held, a necessity which favoured geographically the Christian West over the world of Byzantium and Islam.
Spotlight customer reviews: Customer Rating: Summary: somewhat disappointing Comment: I must say I expected a lot more from this book. Although there are some clear analysis, all what has some interest could have perfectly summarized in 50 pages. It gives the wrong idea that a limited technology imposed sea routes in the Mediterranean till the advent of "round ships" from the North. However, the same routes so brilliantly described in the book are used today by any of the thousands of yachts sailing the Mediterranean, both motor and sail. And it should not take so easily for granted that small galleys and galliots could not withstand bad weather in some way. There is room for further research there. More Reviews