The Maritime History Programme - Episode 1: Boating with the Ubaid People.

Earliest prehistory reveals mankind’s innate connection to the sea; from boats of woven reed in Egypt, to Homer’s black ships of the Trojan War, down to the naval battles of Greece, Rome, and every civilization since. Brandon Huebner presents the history, archaeology, and literature that connect us with our past on the sea. In this first episode, we'll journey to ancient Mesopotamia and meet the Ubaid people, the first people to settle southern Mesopotamia. We'll see how the Ubaid people overcame the environment by instituting complex irrigations systems tied to the might rivers Tigris and Euphrates. We'll also see how the Ubaid people used reeds, their most abundant natural resource, to build a wide range of useful items, including houses and boats. We'll meet some modern-day descendants of the Ubaid people and see how their way of life can inform our understanding of the past. Join Brandon on a voyage down through the ages and witness the development of sailing, trade, and much more.