Sailing and Sailing Rigs in the Ancient Mediterranean: implications of continuity, variation and change in propulsion technology

Julian Whitewright

doi:10.1111/1095-9270.12278

Abstract

Ships and boats form the foundations of the maritime connectivity that is a central part of our understanding of the ancient Mediterranean. While the general chronological sequence of sail and sailing-rig development is well established, the implications are less-well discussed. This article sets out how sails and sailing rigs developed in antiquity, with emphasis on the Greco-Roman world. Subsequently, instances of innovation are defined. Why specific pieces of maritime technology were, or were not, widely adopted is considered. Long-term technological continuity can be comprehended, and a shared maritime culture of sailing in the ancient Mediterranean is suggested.

Highlights

Ships and boats form the foundations of the maritime connectivity that is a central part of our understanding of the ancient Mediterranean
Even without the wealth of historical material that serves other forms of ancient technology, it is still possible to identify, trace, and begin to comprehend considerable periods of technological continuity, to define instances of invention, and to consider why specific pieces of maritime technology were, or were not, adopted more widely in antiquity. The implications of this allow a revised view of innovation within maritime technology to be put forward, for a shared maritime culture associated with seafaring to be postulated, and for our understanding of the linkages between technological elements of such a maritime culture to be better related to their surrounding context
The implications for our understanding of sailing in the ancient Mediterranean that arise from the advent of ships using a sailing rig as their only form of propulsion, distinct from the paddle/oar-sail combinations seen previously

Summary

Introduction

In consideration of the Mediterranean square sail it is possible to trace a further line of development from the 2nd century AD, through depictions of vessels carrying a rig of two seemingly sized square sails 1.13.3) (Sottas, 1939: 229–230; Moore, 1957: 241; Kreutz, 1976: 83; Casson, 1995: 245, n.82), the iconographic material remains the primary source for understanding this significant shift in how the mariners of the ancient world rigged and used their sailing vessels from late antiquity onwards (discussion in Whitewright 2008; 2011a).

Results

Conclusion