The Mediterranean in the medieval western world was a melting pot of civilizations subject to constant change. Commercial account books of the time contain numerous references to materials for the construction, launch, repairs, maintenance and care of ships engaged in trade, because the boats were the most highly prized component of a flourishing business, and a good ship kept oneself, one's family, friends and fellow shipmates alive. The commercial account books we have examined provide a wide variety of entries, both quantitatively and qualitatively, relating to materials that show how much care was invested in the boats, which in turn reflects the concerns of the ship owners and sailors to keep the ship in good condition. The items in the accounting records of the 14th and 15th centuries, the merchants of Barcelona merchants include candles, rudders, masts, fish, nails, wood, ropes, tackle and rigging and other shipping equipment that maintained sea-worthiness and guaranteed good business. It also guaranteed their safe return to the city and their families, neighbours and friends, many from the Ribera district where they were born and where, in some cases, they would die, having survived the dangerous voyages made not only in the Mediterranean, but also up and down the Atlantic to the north of France and Flanders

El Mediterráneo es en el Occidente medieval un crisol de civilizaciones sometido a cambios constantes de los que dan cuenta, en numerosas ocasiones, los mercaderes y comerciantes en su contabilidad. Los libros de contabilidad mercantil examinados proporcionan anotaciones muy dispares, tanto cuantitativa como cualitativamente, en relación a los materiales que transmiten el cuidado que dedican a las embarcaciones, reflejo de la preocupación de los patrones y de los marinos por mantener la nave en buen estado