This episode originally aired on David Crowther's wonderful History of England podcast. Please check it out here if you haven't yet. His episodes regarding Henry V may help put this specific episode in context, as well.

This episode covers the military aspirations of King Henry V, with a particular focus on his use of naval power. The story of his flagship, the Grace Dieu, serves as a fitting indicator of the dynamics at play during the period and the decline of naval power following Henry V's death.

This supplemental episode is a reading of the 'Periplus of the Erythraean Sea' in its entirety. Be sure to check out the show notes for maps and links to more info about the text, if you're curious.

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In today's episode we shift our focus east and look at the earliest identifiable civilization on the Indian subcontinent. The Harappan people were known to have had contacts with Egypt and Mesopotamia thanks to Harappan artifacts that have been discovered in those places. Sadly, there is very little evidence of maritime activity on the part of the Harappans, even though we know they were active to some extent.

We'll also look at the characteristics of the Erythraean Sea (Arabian Sea) and see how the monsoons helped connect the civilizations of the near east in antiquity. Other items include the so-called 'dockyard' at Lothal and a few boat depictions from the ancient Harappans.

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In today's episode we're going to look at the evidence of heavy-transport shipping throughout Egypt's history. Their many monumental building projects required the transportation of staggering amounts of material, and there is evidence from Pliny the Elder and Herodotus that much of this transport was accomplished by shipping up and down the Nile. We'll look at the various theories for how objects weighing hundreds of tons were loaded and shipped on the Nile, and we'll see a few depictions of such ships from the pyramid of Unas and the temple of Hatshepsut.

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The 'war' part refers to the first several pharaohs of the New Kingdom, kings who retook Egypt from the Hyksos. Specifically, we'll look at the pharaoh Kamose' retaking of the city of Avaris, partially accomplished by amphibious assault from the Nile. We'll also see the exploits of Thutmose III, but the 'peace' part refers to Queen Hatshepsut, a woman pharaoh who ruled concurrently with Thutmose III. Hatshepsut focused on reestablishing foreign trade, and one of Egypt's most well-known temple reliefs gives us a marvelous look at a voyage to Punt that was organized by Egypt's greatest female pharaoh. Other items from today's episode include a look at Min of the Desert, a full-scale reconstruction based on the Hatshepsut 'Punt' ship depictions, along with boat models from the tomb of Tutankhamun.

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A supplementary episode covering the entire 'Tale of the Shipwrecked Sailor.'

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This episode covers the maritime exploits of the Middle Kingdom. From the reopening of trade routes by Hannu, to the Tale of the Shipwrecked Sailor, to the Dashur boats found in pits near a pyramid, we'll cover the brief revival of maritime trade during the Middle Kingdom.

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Today's episode will focus on the scope of Egypt's maritime reach during the Old Kingdom's fifth and sixth dynasties. Topics include the development and refinement of maritime technology like the sail and the hogging truss, the discovery of an ancient harbor at Wadi el-Jarf, and the mysterious land of Punt as it relates to the story of Harkhuf, the boy pharaoh Pepi II, and a pygmy from Nubia.

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In this episode we meet the Fourth Dynasty pharaohs, their pyramids, and a magnificent ship buried next to Khufu's Great Pyramid at Giza. From the story of its discovery and restoration, to the intricate construction methods used on the ship, down to the theories about the ship's original purpose, this episode looks at what may be the world's finest surviving example of ancient maritime technology.

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In this episode we'll focus mainly on the predynastic depictions of papyrus boats, wooden boats, the earliest depictions of the sail, and one important petroglyph. Then, we'll consider the validity of a theory that has connected ancient Egypt with ancient Mesopotamia. We'll conclude by looking at a magnificent discovery at Abydos where some of the oldest wooden planked boats to have ever been found were buried in their own graves in the Egyptian desert.

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