This book gathers together papers on the place of the sea in the ancient world, originally delivered at the Transpennine Research Seminar, beginning in 1996, by international scholars in archaeology, history, classical studies and anthropology. The wide range of topics covered includes histories of Mediterranean and Aegean islands, with a focus on their relationship to the sea; studies of ancient ship technology, sailing and harbours, and of the sea as a source of natural resources and a means of communication and transport; analyses of ancient navies, the politics of sea powers, maritime trade and piracy; and examinations of the symbolic and literary character of the sea in classical prose, verse, and ancient political and social thought.