History of the World in Sixteen Shipwrecks

Stories of sea disasters, from ancient Roman triremes to modern cruise ships, captivate the imagination. The study of shipwrecks offers a unique perspective on world history. Stewart Gordon recounts the stories of ships and people from the Nile to the Exxon Valdez, arguing that the gradual integration of maritime domains into larger, more interdependent regions shaped world history. He challenges the notion of a singular European “Age of Exploration,” suggesting that many cultures explored far-flung maritime worlds throughout history. Gordon emphasizes the significance of institutions and technologies that made the oceans familiar and transformed unknown seas into well-traveled sea-lanes in our modern world.

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