THIS book is in search of identifying the lines of evolution of ship and seafaring over the ages ancient, medieval and modern times. In fact, there may be several lines of evolution spread over different seas of the world. Hence, we undertook independent searches in each of the different seaways- Indian Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean and Seas of Northern Europe. In fact, it is also possible that on the same ocean, several simultaneous streams of development of ships were taking place, arising out of demand of commercial, political and naval seafaring. As the activities of seafaring have been very intense in Northern Europe, we preferred to study the evolution of ships and seafaring in the seas around Northern Europe as an independent part, though these seas are regional seas only.
The evolutionary process of development of ships and seafaring is basically a part of Maritime history. History is predominantly sagas of people and countries with many socio-political developments and Maritime history is an extension of such saga to the oceans and the human venture on them. Our emphasis is first on the sea, next on ships and then on seafaring, based on materials and information gathered primarily from the Maritime and other historical works. While delving on the ocean, we could not be fully divorced from the human history stream, for humans are the principal actors on the sea. However, our focus is more on their creation and innovation in the Maritime arena - ships and seafaring over the seas. Hence, we also got involved in the technicalities of these innovations, ships, seafaring and conflicts on seas.
Having generally outlined the raison d’etre of our approach in this book, our story is still indirectly a part of the maritime history. But our readers would possibly be technical researchers, ship designers, navigators, shipbuilders, oceanographers and other mariners, who all influence and determine the different contours of the evolutionary processes and who might use them, each from their own perspectives, to develop and further improvise and innovate for their respective areas of application and specialization. That should not also deter the Maritime historian to read and critique our locus standi.
In the first part, we have begun with the Indian Ocean. While on the one hand, we outlined the magnificent and manifold maritime contributions of India in splendid conjunction with the Indianized South-East Asian mainland and the archipelagic States in the Eastern Indian Ocean, on the other hand, we noted how the deep and wide maritime trade and rich diplomatic maritime activities contributed by other primal ancient civilizations of Babylon, Arabs of Pharaohic civilization and even the remote Roman Civilizations led to the development of very varied and vibrant ship types and seafaring in the western Indian Ocean. This glorious trade and seafaring prospered for about two thousand years from the ancient Vedic times generally extending before the Christian era.
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