Technological continuity and change: the lateen sail of the medieval Mediterranean
Technological continuity and change: the lateen sail of the medieval Mediterranean
Maritime connectivity in the medieval Mediterranean, highlighted by a number of scholars, acknowledges the importance of maritime technology. A detailed understanding of the use and development of watercraft permitting trans-Mediterranean trade, exchange and cultural interaction is still often lacking. The lateen sail provided the main form of propulsion to Mediterranean sail-powered ships for the majority of the medieval period. Yet, its origins, development and potential performance has, until recently remained poorly understood. Clear iconographic depictions outline the basic chronology surrounding the adoption of the lateen sail allowing the main rigging components of the Mediterranean lateen rig to be characterised from the late-antiquity onwards. Comparative investigation into the Mediterranean lateen and square-sail allows an appreciation of the relative performance of the two rigs. This allows new theories to be proposed, which explain the invention and adoption of the lateen sail and provide a developed context for its use in the medieval period.
1-19
Whitewright, J.
80f5f9b9-3d0d-46bb-a759-7b59f5993bb2
18 June 2012
Whitewright, J.
80f5f9b9-3d0d-46bb-a759-7b59f5993bb2
Whitewright, J.
(2012)
Technological continuity and change: the lateen sail of the medieval Mediterranean.
Al-Masaq Islam and the Medieval Mediterranean, 24 (1), .
(doi:10.1080/09503110.2012.655580).
Abstract
Maritime connectivity in the medieval Mediterranean, highlighted by a number of scholars, acknowledges the importance of maritime technology. A detailed understanding of the use and development of watercraft permitting trans-Mediterranean trade, exchange and cultural interaction is still often lacking. The lateen sail provided the main form of propulsion to Mediterranean sail-powered ships for the majority of the medieval period. Yet, its origins, development and potential performance has, until recently remained poorly understood. Clear iconographic depictions outline the basic chronology surrounding the adoption of the lateen sail allowing the main rigging components of the Mediterranean lateen rig to be characterised from the late-antiquity onwards. Comparative investigation into the Mediterranean lateen and square-sail allows an appreciation of the relative performance of the two rigs. This allows new theories to be proposed, which explain the invention and adoption of the lateen sail and provide a developed context for its use in the medieval period.
This record has no associated files available for download.
More information
Published date: 18 June 2012
Organisations:
Archaeology
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 340588
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/340588
ISSN: 0950-3110
PURE UUID: da152011-184b-4a4b-90a0-767c6e7ec09e
Catalogue record
Date deposited: 26 Jun 2012 15:20
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:11
Export record
Altmetrics
Download statistics
Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.
View more statistics
