In his lifelong career as an underwater archaeologist, David Gibbins has explored dozens of shipwrecks around the world. Now, in his new book,"A History of the World in Twelve Shipwrecks" , Gibbins takes readers along for the journey as he visits sites from the ancient Egyptians, the Vikings and beyond. Live Science talked with Gibbins about his experience as a diver and the ways ships were the force connecting the spread of people, religion and ideas around the world.
I spent time teaching as an academic before becoming a full-time writer. I began developing an idea for a book that was scholarly but also accessible. The fact that my own experiences have taken me from the Bronze Age all the way to the 20th century in terms of sites that I've dived has allowed me to pick and choose which shipwrecks to include.
Related: Diver unexpectedly discovers Roman-era shipwreck carrying beautiful marble columns off Israel's coastDG: A typical wreck represents one extraordinary moment in time, which is an emotionally powerful thing, since you're not far from thinking of the people on the ship — and, very often, sadly, what happened to them.