Throughout recorded history peoples and nations have depended on the sea for their prosperity, well-being and influence in peace and in war. Maritime trade and conflict have created great powers and empires, and defeat at sea has often begun or signalled their decline. Such an ebb and flow of wealth and importance can be charted for the Phoenicians and Athenians in the ancient world, the Vikings in medieval Europe, or Spain, the Netherland and Britain as the modern era approaches... Features a unique combination of clear and informative maps supplemented by an authoritative commentary by experts in the field...