Ships were the most complex constructions of any society until just before the Industrial Revolution. Here, experts in the field present the latest information from nautical archaeological excavations and explore the conceptual basis for shipbuilding traditions. The authors discuss the earliest plank-built ships of ancient Egypt, the mortise-and-tenon joined hulls of the ancient Mediterranean, and lapstrake construction in northern Europe, as well as the research methodology used to study such ships. Contributors examine construction methods and the problems of change and adaptation to shipbuilding, as well as a wide range of ancient boat models and evidence contained in Egyptian papyri. In a final chapter, they examine finds in Lake Champlain to shed light on the way shipbuilding reflects the maritime environment.

Foreword by: George F. Bass