Archaeology of the boat brings together existing knowledge on the development of the world's boats, for both the practical archaeologist and the generaI reader, in a way not done since James Hornell's classic Water transport published exactly thirty years ago. Basi! Greenhill, Director of the National Maritime Museum, collates the availabie evidence on the evolution of boat and shipbuilding through the ages and examines it as a part of the deveIopment of changing civilizations, and not just as a catalogue of the world's major boat finds. The book covers the four main roots of boatbuilding - the raft, the skin boat, the bark boat and the dugout - and traces the evolution of each type with particular reference to Europe and North America. Basil Greenhill's study includes the technological revolutions which took pIace in the 15th century. Two of the chapters have been written by distinguished speciaIists - John Morrison (president of Wolfson College, Cambridge) contributes a discussion on the deveIopment of boats and ships in the classical Mediterranean and Sean McGrail (Chief Archaeologist at the National Maritime Museum) writes on the buiIding of Viking ships. Boat archaeology is a new, but rapidIy expanding , discipline, and as further discoveries are made this book will help to set them in the context of centuries of boatbuilding and boat development. The book contains over 200 photographs and line drawings, as well as chapter by chapter bibliographies and a giossary.