Though the period 400-1100 saw significantly more global naval activity than the classical age, the scope and impact of naval warfare was still limited and acted essentially as an adjunct to land warfare in strictly military terms. This was because naval technology still placed severe constraints on the capabilities of seaborne military forces. Land-based powers remained far vaster and more influential than sea powers. Yet the globalization of naval warfare itself was important, as it reflected, followed, and drew on the growing world maritime trade, a trend that would continue in the following age and become decisive after 1500, creating in the process a new model of naval power.
Ahrweiler, Helene. Byzance et la Mer. Paris: Presses universitaires de France, 1966. The fundamental maritime history of the Byzantine Empire.
Fahmy, Aly Mohamed. Muslim Naval Organization in the Eastern Mediterranean from the Seventh to the Tenth Century ad. Cairo: National Publication and Print House, 1966. Focuses on the administrative, economic, and manpower issues of Muslim naval power.
Hall, Kenneth. Maritime Trade and State Development in Early Asia. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1985. Also Trade and Statecraft in the Age of the Colas. Delineates the close connections between economic activity, state building, and elite management, and Chola naval activity.
Hall, Kenneth, and John K. Whitmore, eds. Explorations in Early Southeast Asian History: The Origins of Southeast Asian Statecraft. Ann Arbor: Center for South and Southeast Asia Studies, University of Michigan, 1976. A collection of articles exploring Srivijayan naval power and its connection to state power and the network of Southeast Asian trade, 1000-1200.
Hourani, George. Arab Seafaring, Rev. and exp. ed. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1995. A classic exploration of the Arab role in Indian Ocean trade networks from ancient times to about 1000.
Jesch, Judith. Ships and Men in the Late Viking Age. Woodbridge: Boydell, 2001. A significant recent work on Viking naval institutions; accessible despite being aimed at specialists.
Landstrom, Bjorn. The Ship. London: Allen & Unwin, 1961. A good introductory survey, lavishly illustrated, of the evolution of ship designs throughout the world, though focused on Europe.
Lewis, Archibald, and Timothy Runyon. European Naval and Maritime History, 300—1500. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1985. Fundamental survey of naval history that includes Byzantium and Islam in the Mediterranean.
Pryor, John H. Geography, Technology, and War. Studies in the Maritime History of the Mediterranean 649-1571. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988. A superb examination of the combined influence of geography, including weather patterns, and naval technology on naval conflict in the Mediterranean.
Sawyer, Peter. Kings and Vikings. New York: Methuen, 1982. A solid overview of the Viking impact on European society.
Shanmugam, P. The Revenue System of the Cholas, 850-1279. Madras: New Era Publications, 1987. Useful for the role of tribute and maritime exchange, including trade and plunder, in the Chola state system.
Spencer, George W. The Politics of Expansion: The Chola Conquest of Sri Lanka and Srivijaya. Madras: New Era Publications, 1983. A clear analysis of the internal dynamics of Chola expansionism, stressing the relationship of king and aristocracy.
Unger, Richard W. The Ship in the Medieval Economy, 600-1600. London: Croom Helm, 1980. Provides the important economic setting for naval warfare in an age before specialized navies, and traces in detail technological improvements of ship design.
Whittow, Mark. The Making of Byzantium, 600-1025. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1996. Contains brief but incisive sections on the Byzantine navy and its Roman heritage.