In this comprehensive history of Homer's references to ships and seafaring, author Samuel Mark reveals patterns in the way that Greeks built ships and approached the sea between 850 and 750 b.c. To discuss and clarify the terms used by Homer, Mark draws on scholarly literature as well as examples from recent excavations of ancient shipwrecks.
Mark begins by emphasizing the importance of the household during a period in which chiefs ruled and Greek nobles disdained merchants and considered seafaring a necessary but less than distinguished activity. His chapter on Odysseus's construction...

In Near Eastern studies, it has come to be accepted by many as fact that predynastic trade routes connected Egypt and Mesopotamia. The existence of such trade routes, however, has until recently largely been based upon the two regions' shared influences rather than on archaeological evidence.
In "From Egypt to Mesopotamia, " Samuel Mark ferrets out the two possible trade routes between these two vastly different cultures. Ancient shipwreck sites and recently discovered artifacts allow Mark to delineate avenues of trade between Egypt and Mesopotamia. Taking to task previous studies that...