The intensive whaling that has pushed many species to the brink of extinction today may be several centuries older than previously assumed. This view is held by archaeologists from Uppsala and York whose findings are presented in the European Journal of Archaeology.
The Vasa: Gustav II Adolf’s Glorious and Doomed Warship
June 10, 2018 by
On the 10th of August 1628, the Vasa sank in Stockholm harbour, thus ending the career of the most powerful warship that Sweden had ever seen.
When the Atlantic Ocean had many islands: The mythical and miraculous places west of medieval Europe
June 1, 2018 by
Why medieval people did not accept that the vast space in the Atlantic Ocean between the Old World and the New could truly be an empty one.
A shipwreck and an 800-year-old ‘made in China’ label reveal lost history
May 21, 2018 by
Centuries ago, a ship sank in the Java Sea off the coast of Indonesia. The wooden hull disintegrated over time, leaving only a treasure trove of cargo.
The Mary Rose: A Visit to Henry VIII’s Flagship
May 18, 2018 by
If you find yourself in the English town of Portsmouth, Minjie Su suggests a visit to the Mary Rose – to see the remains of the famous 16th century ship.
Old Norse Ship Names and Ship Terms
March 7, 2018 by
The nautical language of the North Sea Germanic area is a very elaborate and rich terminology. This was no less true at the time I am dealing with, namely the period from the Viking Age up to about 1400 A.D.
Catalan commerce in the late Middle Ages
September 30, 2017 by
In this article I shall examine the maritime commercial activities of Catalans abroad.
Archaeological output in the museum setting: a case study – The Mary Rose
September 22, 2017 by
What is the ultimate output of this archaeological excavation? How are the results of the work communicated to a wider public in a way that is engaging for a 21st-century audience?
The character of commercial fishing in Icelandic waters in the fifteenth century
August 28, 2017 by
The character of commercial fishing in Icelandic waters in the fifteenth century By Mark Gardiner Cod and Herring: The Archaeology and History of Medieval Sea Fishing, eds. J. Barrett and D. Orton (Oxbow Books, 2016) Abstract: From the early fifteenth century English vessels began fishing in Icelandic waters. They adopted a mixed approach of fishing and trading to […]
DNA samples reveal Viking Age fish trade
August 10, 2017 by
It has been assumed that the Vikings were trading in cod, but so far solid evidence has been lacking. With new methods, it is possible to extract ancient DNA from fishbone remnants and this can provide some exciting new information!
Henry V and the crossing to France: reconstructing naval operations for the Agincourt campaign, 1415
May 17, 2017 by
On 11 August 1415 a large fleet slipped out of the Solent and headed to the Chef de Caux.
The Growth of London as a Port from Roman to Medieval Times
December 19, 2016 by
Rather than describing a history of the port of London, it seems more appropriate to say PORTS of London, since the locations, vessels, cargoes and waterfront facilities differed as much as the prevalent languages, cultures and currencies.
Surviving a Medieval Shipwreck
October 2, 2016 by
‘But then the wind came upon us from the mountains, and we could not handle the sails, and we were caught in the gale and the rain and thunder and lightning.’
Medieval Maritime Warfare
August 6, 2016 by
Charles Stanton uses an innovative and involving approach to describe this fascinating but neglected facet of European medieval history.
Iron Age boathouses in Arctic Norway viewed as multifunctional expressions of maritime cultural heritage
February 29, 2016 by
Boathouses have been in use in Norway for at least 2000 years and c. 850 structures pre-dating the 16th century have been recorded.
The Infamous Military Campaign of 1379
January 17, 2016 by
The destruction of an English fleet led by Sir John Arundel in 1379 is reported by most chroniclers to be an unfortunate accident. However, if you read what Thomas Walsingham has to say about what happened, you get a far more horrific version of events.
The Use of the Lead and Line by Early Navigators in the North Sea?
November 22, 2015 by
This paper draws attention to the lack of information as to how early North Sea sailors navigated, particularly during the one thousand year period that followed Roman times.
‘Pirates, robbers and other malefactors’: The role played by violence at sea in relations between England and the Hanse towns, 1385 – 1420
November 17, 2015 by
This thesis will argue that the impact of specific phenomena, particularly the activities of the Vitalienbrüder, on Anglo-Hanseatic relations has been not only neglected but misunderstood, and that attention to English sources can help flesh out our understanding of the Vitalienbrüder’s history.
What do Cod Bones from the Mary Rose tell us about the global fish trade?
September 9, 2015 by
New stable isotope and ancient DNA analysis of the bones of stored cod provisions recovered from the wreck of the Tudor warship Mary Rose, which sank off the coast of southern England in 1545, has revealed that the fish in the ship’s stores had been caught in surprisingly distant waters
The Newport Medieval Ship in Context: The Life and Times of a 15th Century Merchant Vessel Trading in Western Europe
August 26, 2015 by
This paper presents a summary of recent research into the broader economic, cultural and political world in which the Newport Medieval Ship was built and operated.
How did medieval seafarers turn trees into boat parts?
August 10, 2015 by
In this video, Professor Jon Adams of the University of Southampton explains the techniques by which shipwrights have converted the trees of the forest into the components of the boats in which people eventually sailed around the world.
BOOK REVIEW: Genoa ‘La Superba’: The Rise and Fall of a Merchant Pirate Superpower by Nicholas Walton
August 9, 2015 by
While most books about Italy have been dedicated to tourist hubs like Milan, Florence, Rome, Sicily and Venice, Genoa with its rich history, rugged landscape, and tenacious residents, has been given only a passing mention.
Early Norse Navigation Tools
August 2, 2015 by
These two pieces of navigation equipment were at the time as cutting edge as the iphone, the ipad, and the GPS is today. They allowed the sailors to navigate large stretches of open water without sight of land and successfully reach their destination as safely as possible.
Fish commoditization and the historical origins of catching fish for profit
July 29, 2015 by
Herring trade expanded in the late 1300s with the introduction in Holland of an improved curing process that allowed the salting of fresh herring in barrels at sea.
Sea Monsters on Medieval and Renaissance Maps
February 24, 2015 by
Chet Van Duzer, author of the recent book Sea Monsters on Medieval and Renaissance Maps, will trace the history of sea monsters on European maps, beginning with the earliest mappaemundi on which they appear in the tenth century and continuing to the end of the sixteenth century.
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