What Makes A Maritime History Documentary So Fascinating

By Jack Hanley

Many people have a fascination for maritime history. It is a topic that has an important part to play in the development of mankind as a race; the subject is very extensive with focus on specific periods. Within maritime history are various disciplines such as naval history, whaling and fishing, ship design and construction, yachting, maritime literature and art, trade, as well as the docks, marinas, and harbors. The best way to learn more about the topic is to choose a maritime history documentary. But before you make a selection it is good to have a little more information about the various periods.

The history is split into various sub groups or eras. As a whole it is an extensive and vast field; but through focusing on specific ages you will find it easy to get a handle on all the changes and developments that have taken place.

To start with there is the ancient period. The first boats that were used were likely to have been a form of dugout canoe. These were made by Stone Age peoples to be able to travel independently for fishing and migration. The oldest and largest relics from this age are canoes more than sixty feet long, it is believed that the large size gave them a much greater importance. The first sea worthy boats are believed to have been used as far back ago as fifty thousand years.

Somewhere between four thousand and two thousand years ago came a greater use of boats and sailing craft as vessels of exploration. In Arab lands as well as India, the Dhow was used to transport people and goods from the coast of the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf to India's western seaboard. Around the year 1000 AD, the Vikings became famous throughout Northern Europe and the Baltic regions for their skill as boat men.

There were also changes occurring in the Far East during the same era. China was very advanced at this time; but the boats were still being navigated by celestial maps up until the invention of the magnetic compass at the tail end of the eleventh century.

Following on from the age of exploration was the age of discovery. From the middle of the 1500s and for a period of around two hundred years, European explorers set off to conquer the world. You are likely to have heard of Christopher Columbus, he was one such explorer that sailed the globe many times in search of riches and conquest. By the start of the 1700s almost every corner of the planet had been mapped.

As more craft took to the sea the number of naval battles also greatly increased. Such wars are an important part of our heritage. Over the last few hundred years the changes in the design of maritime craft have been significant. There was a rapid switch from sail to steam and then to the modern combustion engine.

Maritime history is a fascinating subject. There are many interesting documentaries available through which you can learn all about the development of transport on the seas. - 29894

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