Table of Contents

Rivers, coasts and seas: navigation in the early Middle Ages
Experience and innovation: shipbuilding in the Middle Ages
From landmarks to charts: advances in navigation
Dorestad, London, Ribe: the North Sea and its early trading ports
From Hedeby to Vineta: early trading posts on the Baltic
From the Varangians to the Greeks: along the Russian rivers
Early explorers: the Vikings in the North Atlantic
"Terrible portents": Viking expeditions of pillage and conquest
A medieval sea power? The Hanseatic League
"Friends of God and foes of all the world": the Vitalienbrüder privateers
The maritime heritage of the Baltic and the North Sea

Reviews

Very handsomely presented with contemporary images, present-day photographs of archaeological sites as well as maps.
*NORTHERN MARINER*

Meier combines the evidence of historical, textual sources, and-more crucially-his expert knowledge of archaeology (including recent archaeological excavations), and thus manages to throw light on a neglected area of medieval history. [...] Seafarers, Merchants and Pirates in the Middle Ages is a succinct, concise introduction to the maritime history of northern Europe in the Middle Ages, and will satisfy the interest of both specialists and the general public interested in medieval naval tradition.
*FOLKLORE*

Intended for a general audience [it] provides lucid, informed explanations of ship types, construction methods, celestial navigation, and a host of additional nautical matters. Recommended.
*CHOICE*