The Ancient Greeks were masters of shipping and the wreck of Kyrenia – found off the coast of Cyprus – is the best recovered example of a trading vessel of the period.

The Chinese were building enormous junk boats before the Northern Europeans had harnessed sail technology.

The “ghost ship” of Sutton Hoo is the most completely preserved Nordic ship to have been recovered and yields much information about ships of the time.

All of these ancient vessels have something to teach us about the crews who sailed them and the cultures they came from.