This short paper considers ‘maritime history’ as a sub-discipline of history. It examines its origins and defines maritime history as the study of humankind’s relationship with the sea. It reviews that relationship and stresses the economic dimension and the need for an understanding of the business of shipping. The relevance of maritime history is examined in the contexts of the world today and historiography. In the former, the paper views the maritime dimension as crucial. On the historiographical aspect the concept of globalisation is considered in terms of a process and an outcome. In both cases, an understanding of maritime history is seen as vital.

中文翻译：

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海事历史：背景和观点

这篇短文将“海事史”视为历史的一个分支学科。它考察了它的起源，并将海洋历史定义为研究人类与海洋的关系。它回顾了这种关系并强调了经济层面和了解航运业务的必要性。在当今世界和历史学的背景下研究了航海历史的相关性。对于前者，本文认为海洋维度至关重要。在史学方面，全球化的概念是从一个过程和一个结果的角度来考虑的。在这两种情况下，对航海历史的了解都被视为至关重要。