Ships and the Development of Maritime Technology on the Indian Ocean (Routledge Indian Ocean Series)

Recognising the fundamental role both of shipping communities and the technologies crafted and shared by them, this book explores the types of ships, methods of navigation and modes of water-borne trade in the Indian Ocean region and the way they affected the development of distinctive settlements against a changing but strong sense of regional consciousness and identity. Contents List of Figures Contributors Preface — David Parkin 1 Shipping in the Indian Ocean: A n Overview • Himanshu Prabha Ray 2 Seafarings, Ships and Ship Owners: India and the Indian Ocean (AD 700—l 500) • Ranabir Chakravarti 3 Seafaring in Peninsular India in the Ancient Period: Of Watercraft and Maritime Communities • Himanshu Prabha Ray 4 Archaeological Evidence on Shipping Communities of Sri Lanka • Osmund Bopeararchchi 5 Pre-Modern Sri Lankan Ships • Somasiri Devendra 6 Classifying Vessel-Types in Ibn Battuta’s Rihla • Dionisius Albertus Agius 7 Navigational Methods in the Indian Ocean • Abdul Sheriff 8 The Rise and Fall of Hadhrami Shipping in the Indian Ocean, c.1750 — c.1940 • William Gervase Clarence-Smith 9 Continuity and Adaptation by Contemporary Swahili Boatbuilders in Kenya • Susan Beckerleg 10 The Historical Context of the Construction of the Vattai Fishing Boat and Related Frame-First Vessels of Tamil Nadu and Beyond • Lucy Blue 11 Yami Boats and Boat Building in a Wider Perspective • R.H. Barnes Bibliography Index This introduction surveys the literature on shipping in the Indian Ocean and attempts to highlight the major concerns that have prevailed.