Seafaring in the Ancient Greek World

Catalog description

This course explores ships, seafaring, and seafarers of the ancient Greek world from the Bronze Age (Minoans and Mycenaeans) to the Age of Alexander (Hellenistic period). Sources include shipwrecks and related artifacts, artistic representations, and ancient literature. The emphasis is not so much on the technical aspects of shipbuilding and navigation as on the ways that seafaring shaped Greek history and connected the Greeks to a wider world through trade, warfare, colonization, and adventure.