Criminal
02-26-2004, 09:31 AM
http://nabataea.net/sailing.html
http://nabataea.net/kamal2.jpg
The Ships
Square Rigged Ships
In the ancient world the square sail was employed universally in the Mediterranean on the seagoing ships of the Egyptians, Phoenicians, Greeks and Romans. In Hellenistic and Roman times a spritsail was sometimes set on a small raking foremast, known as an artemoon, in order to sail with a beam wind. This was a valuable device, but it was still a square sail. Northern Europe only knew of the square rig until late in the Middle Ages. They were the farthest from Arab influence, and the Vikings of Scandinavia continued using the square sail, long after those on the Mediterranean had started incorporating the advantages of using triangular sails on their ships.
Above: A Roman Trade Ship
In India square sails are depicted on coins of the Pallava dynasty (coeval with the Sassanids) and in the Ajanta ship of the seventh century AD.) (Elliot, W., Coins of Southern India, London 1885) An indication that lateens are not native to India is found in their absence today in inland water regions remote from foreign influences.
Above: Ajanta ship
Square rigged sails had the advantage of providing stability on large ships and in heavy seas, and they remained the main type of sail on European vessels until the last days of sail. However, the lateen sail provided greater maneuverability and ability to tack on rivers and in narrow waters. The fore-and-aft sail had an advantage in that it can keep much closer to the wind.
Triangular Rigged Ships
The triangular sail was known as the lateen sail, and has been used in Arab ships from Morocco to Indian, the Persian Gulf to Mozambique. This sail is triangular in shape attached fore and aft, and is very tall and high peaked. In the Indian Ocean the fore angle of the sail was cut off to form a luff. This shape may have been the third of four stages of the evolution of lateen sail.
Apparently most very ancient ships simply used square sails. In time however, the square sail was attached fore and aft, and was tilted down at the fore end. This made a balance-lug. There are drawings of ships of this type from ancient Egypt, showing ships sailing downstream on the Nile against the prevailing north wind. A modern version of this is found in the Sudanese naggar-lug, and in the balanced lugs of Indonesia. These first appeared on bas-reliefs of Boro-Budur in Java, which date from the tenth century. The Javanese proa which survived until recently has a similar style; the sail is much broader than high.
From the balanced-lug it was a natural development to shorten the fore-portion of the sail and raise the back in order to catch more wind. This would have produced the type of lateen sail that is found in the western half on the Indian Ocean.
Maritime historians have often argued over where this sail was developed and how its use may have spread.
There are three possible scenarios. First it may have developed in the Mediterranean, and spread toward the Indian Ocean, or it may have developed in the Indian Ocean and spread towards the Mediterranean. Each of these scenarios has its supporters and it's problems. A third scenario, which seems more likely, is that the lateen sail was developed on the Red Sea.
There are several things that seem to point in this direction. First, the square sail was obviously the sail of choice in the Mediterranean and in the Far East. These areas of the world contained vast seas that were easily crossed using square sails. The Red Sea, and particularly the Gulf of Aqaba on the other hand were constantly exposed to contrary winds. In order to sail on these seas, sailors had to constantly battle winds that blew against them. In this sort of setting the lateen sail was at its best.
Secondly, the earliest evidence of the existence of lateens on the Mediterranean is in Greek Byzantine manuscripts of the late ninth century which show drawings of lateens. Before this, in antiquity, only the square sail was found in this sea. This would lead us to suspect that the lateen came to the Mediterranean in the wake of the Arab expansion. (Bibliotheque Nationale, MS, grec., no. 510, fols. 3 and 367v,; H.H. Brindley, Early Pictures of Lateen Sails" in Mariner's Mirror col. xxi, 1926) (Sottas, J., An Early Lateen Sail in the Mediterranean, in Mariner's Mirror, 1939)
Third, the Italian name mezzana, with it's French offspring misaine, and English mizzen are derivatives of the Arab word miizaan, meaning balance. These mizzen masts that were found on Italian ships of the later Middle Ages, could have had it's name borrowed from the Arabic miizaan because it was a supplementary mast balancing the main mast. On the other hand, other scholars have pointed out that the name mezzana mast could have come from the Latin mediana, which means 'middle.'
It is interesting to notice that in the north of Europe, during the 1400's, ships were only square rigged and were entirely dependent on a fair wind. They were quite unstable, and were never used to attempt to make headway against an adverse wind and thus were unable to make long journeys to cross oceans.
Then suddenly in the 1500s, lateen sails burst on the scene, and ships developed into three masters with square sails complimented by lateen mizzens. These ships were capable of making long ocean voyages and were used by Columbus, Diaz and Vasco da Gama.
Lastly, it seems that during the Byzantine era, the forepart of the lateen sail was changed to a point, making it a complete triangle. This occurred first in the Mediterranean, but the Arabs of the Red Sea and Indian Ocean kept their old form. The lateen eventually reached North European waters at the end of the Middle Ages, and there developed into every sort of fore-and aft rig.
Likewise, the lateen sail seems to have made its way from the Indian Ocean towards the seas of far south Asia. Since there are drawings from India, which demonstrate the use of the square sail there, and since the Chinese rigged their junks with square sails, it is safe to assume that the lateen sail was an Arab invention that most likely developed on the Red Sea.
http://nabataea.net/kamal2.jpg
The Ships
Square Rigged Ships
In the ancient world the square sail was employed universally in the Mediterranean on the seagoing ships of the Egyptians, Phoenicians, Greeks and Romans. In Hellenistic and Roman times a spritsail was sometimes set on a small raking foremast, known as an artemoon, in order to sail with a beam wind. This was a valuable device, but it was still a square sail. Northern Europe only knew of the square rig until late in the Middle Ages. They were the farthest from Arab influence, and the Vikings of Scandinavia continued using the square sail, long after those on the Mediterranean had started incorporating the advantages of using triangular sails on their ships.
Above: A Roman Trade Ship
In India square sails are depicted on coins of the Pallava dynasty (coeval with the Sassanids) and in the Ajanta ship of the seventh century AD.) (Elliot, W., Coins of Southern India, London 1885) An indication that lateens are not native to India is found in their absence today in inland water regions remote from foreign influences.
Above: Ajanta ship
Square rigged sails had the advantage of providing stability on large ships and in heavy seas, and they remained the main type of sail on European vessels until the last days of sail. However, the lateen sail provided greater maneuverability and ability to tack on rivers and in narrow waters. The fore-and-aft sail had an advantage in that it can keep much closer to the wind.
Triangular Rigged Ships
The triangular sail was known as the lateen sail, and has been used in Arab ships from Morocco to Indian, the Persian Gulf to Mozambique. This sail is triangular in shape attached fore and aft, and is very tall and high peaked. In the Indian Ocean the fore angle of the sail was cut off to form a luff. This shape may have been the third of four stages of the evolution of lateen sail.
Apparently most very ancient ships simply used square sails. In time however, the square sail was attached fore and aft, and was tilted down at the fore end. This made a balance-lug. There are drawings of ships of this type from ancient Egypt, showing ships sailing downstream on the Nile against the prevailing north wind. A modern version of this is found in the Sudanese naggar-lug, and in the balanced lugs of Indonesia. These first appeared on bas-reliefs of Boro-Budur in Java, which date from the tenth century. The Javanese proa which survived until recently has a similar style; the sail is much broader than high.
From the balanced-lug it was a natural development to shorten the fore-portion of the sail and raise the back in order to catch more wind. This would have produced the type of lateen sail that is found in the western half on the Indian Ocean.
Maritime historians have often argued over where this sail was developed and how its use may have spread.
There are three possible scenarios. First it may have developed in the Mediterranean, and spread toward the Indian Ocean, or it may have developed in the Indian Ocean and spread towards the Mediterranean. Each of these scenarios has its supporters and it's problems. A third scenario, which seems more likely, is that the lateen sail was developed on the Red Sea.
There are several things that seem to point in this direction. First, the square sail was obviously the sail of choice in the Mediterranean and in the Far East. These areas of the world contained vast seas that were easily crossed using square sails. The Red Sea, and particularly the Gulf of Aqaba on the other hand were constantly exposed to contrary winds. In order to sail on these seas, sailors had to constantly battle winds that blew against them. In this sort of setting the lateen sail was at its best.
Secondly, the earliest evidence of the existence of lateens on the Mediterranean is in Greek Byzantine manuscripts of the late ninth century which show drawings of lateens. Before this, in antiquity, only the square sail was found in this sea. This would lead us to suspect that the lateen came to the Mediterranean in the wake of the Arab expansion. (Bibliotheque Nationale, MS, grec., no. 510, fols. 3 and 367v,; H.H. Brindley, Early Pictures of Lateen Sails" in Mariner's Mirror col. xxi, 1926) (Sottas, J., An Early Lateen Sail in the Mediterranean, in Mariner's Mirror, 1939)
Third, the Italian name mezzana, with it's French offspring misaine, and English mizzen are derivatives of the Arab word miizaan, meaning balance. These mizzen masts that were found on Italian ships of the later Middle Ages, could have had it's name borrowed from the Arabic miizaan because it was a supplementary mast balancing the main mast. On the other hand, other scholars have pointed out that the name mezzana mast could have come from the Latin mediana, which means 'middle.'
It is interesting to notice that in the north of Europe, during the 1400's, ships were only square rigged and were entirely dependent on a fair wind. They were quite unstable, and were never used to attempt to make headway against an adverse wind and thus were unable to make long journeys to cross oceans.
Then suddenly in the 1500s, lateen sails burst on the scene, and ships developed into three masters with square sails complimented by lateen mizzens. These ships were capable of making long ocean voyages and were used by Columbus, Diaz and Vasco da Gama.
Lastly, it seems that during the Byzantine era, the forepart of the lateen sail was changed to a point, making it a complete triangle. This occurred first in the Mediterranean, but the Arabs of the Red Sea and Indian Ocean kept their old form. The lateen eventually reached North European waters at the end of the Middle Ages, and there developed into every sort of fore-and aft rig.
Likewise, the lateen sail seems to have made its way from the Indian Ocean towards the seas of far south Asia. Since there are drawings from India, which demonstrate the use of the square sail there, and since the Chinese rigged their junks with square sails, it is safe to assume that the lateen sail was an Arab invention that most likely developed on the Red Sea.