Idea of Europe: Its Common Heritage and Future Book

Dr. Pryor successfully synthesized 800 years of Mediterranean maritme history into around 200 pages. The central thesis of the book is that "in the Middle Ages the meteorological and oceanographic conditions of the Mediterranean had a profound influence on the course of human history because medieval maritime technology gave only very partial mastery of the elements." In fleshing out this thesis, Pryor comprehensively details weather and currents and their effect on square rigged and lateen rigged sailing ships and galleys. Pryor begins by describing the operational environment and proceeds through a logical progression, discussing naval architecture and navigation, and commercial shipping. In the last half of the book, Pryor discusses the naval and maritime relationships and distinctives of western Europe, the Byzantine Empire, the Islamic states and the Crusader states. This work is an admirable supplement to W.L. Rodgers' 1939 work on medieval naval warfare. Pryor does an outstanding job of moving the narrative along, yet including enough detail to support his thesis. His bibliography is excellent and shows his exhaustive research. This book provides an excellent introduction for anyone interested in how the powers in the Mediterranean basin used the sea as a commercial and military means of projection.