Maritime Studies in the Wake of the Byzantine Shipwreck at Yassiada, Turkey

"The exploration of the Yassiada shipwreck (1961-4) by George F. Bass and Fred van Doorninck resulted in a pioneering and exemplary study followed by others of the same team (e.g. Serçe Limani also considered in this book). It spurred other researches notably in France, represented here by two leading scholars  (P. Pomey and  E. Rieth) and Italy. It provided the model for the study of the spectacular discoveries of the 37 Byzantine seventh- through tenth-century shipwrecks in the silted Theodosian harbor (Yenikapi) in Istanbul, uncovered during construction of the train station at the end of the tunnel dug under the Marmara. C. Pulak shows that these exceptional discoveries confirm and enlarge the insights and theories developed by van Doorninck and Steffy, while applying newer technology.

The present book offers a reconsideration and further analysis of Yassiada material together with a look into other Byzantine shipwrecks from France, Italy, and Turkey.  It concludes with new insights into maritime contacts in the Mediterranean, ending with one of their most famous and portentous manifestations, the shift of Crusades from their mainly terrestrial advance (cheminement) in the 1090s-1150s to maritime transportation from the 1180s onward.  Both an update of past results and an exploration of future tracks of inquiries, after Yassi Ada 1, this book is another milestone in medieval naval archaeology, an indispensable reference for scholars and readers fascinated by Mediterranean seamanship in the fifth through twelfth centuries."--Cécile Morrisson, editor of Trade and Markets in Byzantium