Ancient Egyptians
Nile transport supported Egyptian society, while state expeditions extended Egyptian shipping into the eastern Mediterranean and Red Sea.
Explore Egyptian seafaringMaritime cultures
Seafaring cultures, kingdoms and maritime worlds
Human sea travel developed through many independent and connected traditions. This collection follows river sailors, coastal societies, trading kingdoms and ocean-going cultures across the Mediterranean, Red Sea, Persian Gulf, Indian Ocean, Southeast Asia, Pacific and North Atlantic.
Bronze Age and ancient Mediterranean seafarers
Minoan Crete
Bronze Age maritime exchange linked Crete with Egypt, the Cyclades, mainland Greece and the eastern Mediterranean.
Explore Minoan seafaringMycenaean Greeks
Mycenaean trade moved ceramics, oil, wine and imported materials through a connected Late Bronze Age Mediterranean.
Explore Mycenaean seafaringPhoenicians
Levantine port cities developed commercial networks and settlements across much of the Mediterranean.
Explore Phoenician seafaringCarthaginians
Carthage became a major western Mediterranean commercial and naval power and sent expeditions into the Atlantic.
Explore Carthaginian seafaringAncient Greeks
Greek communities created coastal settlements and trading networks from the Black Sea to Iberia and North Africa.
Explore Greek seafaringRoman sea travel
Merchant shipping moved grain, passengers, military forces and commercial cargo throughout the Roman Mediterranean.
Explore Roman sea travelRed Sea, Persian Gulf and western Indian Ocean
Punt and Egyptian voyages
Egyptian expeditions crossed the Red Sea to obtain incense, gold and other goods from the region described as Punt.
Explore Punt voyagesMesopotamian maritime trade
River and Gulf traffic connected southern Mesopotamia with Dilmun, Magan and trading networks reaching the Indus world.
Explore Mesopotamian tradeDilmun
Ancient Bahrain became a commercial intermediary in Gulf routes connecting Mesopotamia, Oman and the Indus world.
Explore DilmunIndus maritime trade
Harappan coastal communities connected northwestern South Asia with Oman, Bahrain and Mesopotamian markets.
Explore Indus seafaringAksum and Adulis
Aksum used the Red Sea port of Adulis to connect northeast Africa with Arabia and Indian Ocean commerce.
Explore Aksumite tradeOmani seafarers
Ports on the Arabian Sea linked Oman with India, East Africa and wider Indian Ocean commercial and navigational traditions.
Explore Omani seafaringSwahili seafarers
East African coastal communities connected regional ports and hinterlands with merchants arriving across the monsoon seas.
Explore Swahili seafaringSouth Indian maritime kingdoms
Pandyas
Korkai and the Gulf of Mannar pearl fisheries placed the Pandya country inside long-distance Indian Ocean trade.
Explore the PandyasCheras
Malabar ports connected pepper-producing regions with Arabian Sea, Red Sea and Mediterranean commerce.
Explore Chera tradeKalinga seafarers
Eastern Indian maritime traditions maintained connections across the Bay of Bengal toward Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia.
Explore KalingaPallavas
Coromandel ports and merchant communities participated in growing South India to Southeast Asia exchange.
Explore Pallava connectionsCholas
Chola ports, merchant guilds and overseas expeditions made the Bay of Bengal a major arena of South Indian maritime power.
Explore the CholasSoutheast Asian maritime traditions
Austronesian seafarers
Austronesian-speaking communities spread across island Southeast Asia, the Pacific and eventually Madagascar.
Explore Austronesian voyagingMalay seafarers
Communities around the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra developed maritime knowledge around the straits linking two great Asian seas.
Explore Malay seafaringChampa
Cham coastal polities participated in shipping networks connecting mainland Southeast Asia, China and the island world.
Explore ChampaSrivijaya
A Sumatran-centred maritime power benefited from trade moving through the Strait of Malacca.
Explore SrivijayaMajapahit
Javanese political power operated within an archipelagic network of ports, trade, tribute and alliances.
Explore MajapahitEast Asian and Pacific maritime traditions
Chinese maritime traditions
Chinese sailors used regional shipbuilding traditions, compass navigation and long-distance commercial networks.
Explore Chinese maritime historyRyukyu Kingdom
An island kingdom between Japan, China and Taiwan used maritime diplomacy and commercial brokerage across East and Southeast Asia.
Explore Ryukyuan maritime tradePolynesian seafarers
Pacific voyagers combined specialized canoe traditions with environmental wayfinding across enormous ocean distances.
Explore Polynesian wayfindingNorth Atlantic traditions
Viking seafarers
Norse ships and environmental navigation supported coastal travel, trade and North Atlantic settlement toward Iceland, Greenland and North America.
Explore Viking routesExplore another view: browse ancient seafarers, compare maritime kingdoms, follow the routes, or see how navigation methods differed across maritime environments.