Stone Age Sailors

Over the past decade, evidence has been mounting that our ancestors developed skills to sail across large bodies of water early in prehistory. In this fascinating volume, Alan Simmons summarizes and synthesizes the evidence for prehistoric seafaring and island habitation worldwide, then focuses on the Mediterranean. Recent work in Melos, Crete, and elsewhere-- as well as Simmons’ own work in Cyprus-- demonstrate that long-distance sailing is a common Paleolithic phenomenon. His comprehensive presentation of the key evidence and findings will be of interest to both those interested in prehistory and those interested in ancient seafaring. Chapter 1 Neanderthals Afloat? Introduction and Research Background; Chapter 2 A Brief History of Global Seafaring and Archaeology, Katelyn DiBenedetto, Alan H. Simmons; Chapter 3 Environmental Considerations, Katelyn DiBenedetto, Alan H. Simmons; Chapter 4 Of Boats, Invisible Sites, and Archaeological Method: The Difficulty of Documenting Early Seafaring Activity, Katelyn DiBenedetto, Alan H. Simmons; Chapter 5 Pre-Neolithic Seafaring in the Mediterranean: The Claims and the Evidence; Chapter 6 Cyprus and the Hippos; Chapter 7 Current Developments in Cyprus Since 2000 A.D; Chapter 8 Current Developments on Other Islands; Chapter 9 Conclusions;