The Extraordinary Voyage of Pytheas the Greek - Barry Cunliffe

It has long been the view of the ancient world that the population was fairly immobile, especially when it comes to maritime movement. Small ships hugged the shallows of the coast to fish or trade but long distance journeys through deep waters were the possession of a much later age. It has also long been the assumption that the ancient empires of the Mediterranean, whilst being familiar with the geography of their encircled sea, didn't venture much outside their sphere of control. As a general statement that may be true but Barry Cunliffe's book challenges those ideas, albeit in a small way. Sometimes exceptions provide the necessary proof to establish new ideas and ...  Read the complete review