On the Ocean
The Mediterranean and the Atlantic from prehistory to AD 1500
Sir Barry Cunliffe
Reviews and Awards
Winner of the Keith Muckelroy Award from The Nautical Archaeology Society
"This beguiling, thought-provoking, sumptuously illustrated, and engaging book is essential reading." - MS, Current World Archaeology
"On the Ocean is about overcoming the bias of traditional land based narratives, emphasising maritime Europe and what this reveals about our past. As such it is an important and enjoyable book, and one that deserves to be widely read." - Jon Henderson, The Prehistoric Society
"On the Ocean is a magnificent book, being carefully crafted and requiring all of Barry Cunliffe's encyclopaedic knowledge. The image portrayed, through multilateral means, offers a coherent narrative that can be followed through different times and spaces, offering both the overall view and the detailed developments." - Stefan Vasilache, Journal of Ancient History and Archaeology No. 4.4
"On the Ocean is a book all nautical (and terrestrial) archaeologists should read... It provides a comprehensive overview from a seafaring perspective of the Mediterranean and Atlantic from the beginnings of humankinds voyaging in these waters to the discovery of the Americas." - Colin Martin (University of St Andrews), The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology
"The book adopts a familiar format to Cunliffes other recent volumes and supplies everything we have come to expect. It is hugely ambitious in scope, fluently written and beautifully illustrated with panoramic photographs of landscapes and monuments, plus trademark mapping... In between, the narrative takes in deep geological history, the nature of winds, tides and currents, the night sky, the peopling of islands and coastal areas and details of ship- and boat-building technology." - Robert Witcher, Antiquity Reviews, December 2017
"Another magisterial tour de force replete with informative charts and beautiful illustrations... [On the Ocean is] an extraordinary achievement, all the more so for its engaging and elegant style." - David Lorimer, Paradigm Explorer
"An absorbing and lively account of the early Atlantic and Mediterranean. Importantly, it reflects the latest research and delves deeply into the motives of those who sailed them: not just where and how they travelled, but what fears these seas evoked." - David Abulafia, History Today
"A grand and beautifully illustrated work, offering a fascinating perspective from which to understand human development and achievement." - Michael Scott, BBC History Magazine
"Cunliffe writes sparse, clear, uncluttered prose that never tires... The maps are staggeringly good, all drawn with great freedom, in defiance of hidebound cartographical conventions... The copious illustrations are well chosen, too - always engaging, often dramatic... Overall, the total effect of On the Ocean is to encourage a new way of looking at European history using a maritime perspective. I hope it changes the way people think: it is good enough to do so." - Felipe Fernandez-Armesto, Literary Review
"Cunliffe's On the Ocean is a beautifully illustrated and well-designed book." - Brian Ayres, Medieval Archaeology
"[An] impressive new book ... On the Ocean was conceived as a synthesis aimed at a broad audience, and for that purpose it is well-suited, being easy to read and unemcumbered by in-text references." - Letty Ten Harkel, Medieval Settlement Research
"This beautifully and clearly written volume, with its superb colour illustrations, informative maps and diagrams, is nothing less than a masterpiece of multidisciplinary history wrought large as a powerful narrative." - Antiquaries Journal
