1.1 Navigation and maritime commerce

Navigation is nearly as old as the human discovery that wood floating on water can carry people. Water transport most likely first developed where civilization began, around rivers such as the Tigris, Euphrates, Nile and the enclosed seas.1 The first navigators did not dare to venture far from the shore, whose landmarks could guide them and where they could take refuge in case of tempest or during the night.2 As the ships improved, seamen gradually pushed further from the shore into uncharted waters, where the only guides were stars and the sun. Soon, unknown lands were discovered, with varied and unknown goods. Intercourse with their inhabitants naturally followed, sometimes friendly, sometimes not.