Unveiling the Rediscovered Islands 1

Image: At the foothills of Pico del Teide

Courtesy: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/spain/attractions/pico-del-teide/a/poi-sig/444919/360727

I am hopeful you are well and sound. My best advice for those who must spend a lot of time time in isolation is to engage in your favorite activities. In my case, it is research in matters that interest me.

As you know, I have launched new research, which focuses on the European discovery of the maritime route to the Indies. I am working on Part I of the study titled "The Little Age of Discovery: The Conquest of the Western Sea". Here I tell the story of the European ventures in the eastern Atlantic throughout the fourteenth century. 

The first two chapters are complete. Chapter 1, How Wide Spans the Ocean Sea, based on the report of Herodotus, defies the idea that Africa had been circumnavigated in antiquity. It also corrects the impression that Columbus was a lone wolf obsessed with a crazy idea to find the western maritime route to the Far East. This section is available on my site 

https://www.academia.edu/41214506/How_Wide_Spans_the_Ocean_Sea 

The Russian version was published in a literary magazine. 

Chapter 2, Beyond the Pillars of Hercules, explains why the opening of the bottleneck of the Gibraltar Strait ushered in a new age of discovery. This part is available 

https://www.academia.edu/42166248/Beyond_the_Pillars_of_Hercules

The Russian version is to be published until mid-May 2020. 

Meanwhile, I am writing Chapter 3 about the discovery, conquest, and colonization of the Canary Islands. The tragic story of the Guanches, the native residents, is unfolding on the backdrop of European expansion. 

 

Image: The Guanches depicted in a European late-sixteenth century book

Courtesy: 

https://ieslilapatrimoniojinamar.wordpress.com/canarias-prehispanica/

How Wide Spans the Ocean Sea

I decided to upload my fresh research from the third project: the European quest for the maritime route to India in the XVth century. See my site https://independent.academia.edu/BaizermanMichael/Papers

The article is titled "How Wide Spans the Ocean Sea". 

Herodotus recorded several naval accounts: however, are they trustworthy and, if positive, to what extent? The Phoenician ship replica attests to the seaworthiness of their vessels rather than to the details of the epic 2700-year-old voyage across Africa. For most intellectuals of the European Middle Ages, the ocean was a dangerous place. Only toward the close of the fifteenth century, some mapmakers endeavored to visualize the 'latitudinal' route connecting the remote West with the Far East. Columbus was a diehard prisoner of his ambition; he could not help manipulating his figures and engaged in wishful thinking to make his dream come true.

The research includes two parts: the first one reviews the nautical accounts of Herodotus and Hanno the Navigator, while the second one observes the scientific platform supporting Columbus' enterprise to the Indies. 

 

Image: The Phoenician ship replica

 Courtesy:

https://josephsmithfoundation.org/lehis-voyage-demonstrated-phoenicia-expedition/

How Wide Spans the Ocean Sea

Courtesy: John Carlton 

https://www.quora.com/Why-don%E2%80%99t-modern-civilian-cargo-ships-also-use-sails-in-addition-to-engine-power-to-reduce-fuel-consumption 

I am remodeling my old article titled "How Wide Spans the Ocean Sea".  It consists of two parts. The first section covers maritime explorations carried out during the VI and V centuries BCE; it was so vividly described by Herodotus. We refer to the Phoenician expedition which is reported to have circumnavigated Africa, as well as the exploits of Sataspes, Scylax of Caryanda, and Hanno the Navigator. 

  

The other segment collects the views of classical and medieval geographers concerning the prospect of crossing the Atlantic Ocean that was believed to separate Spain (or, in another version, Marocco) from China and Japan.  These scholars discuss such issues as the existence of a landmass in between or an unbroken expanse of the deep blue. Among them, we find Aristotle, Eratosthenes, Posidonius, Strabo, Seneca, Augustine, as well as Pierre d'Ailly, Henricus Martellus, Martin Behaim, and Christopher Columbus. 

This paper was originally part of my second book, The Enchanting Encounter with the East. However, since the keynote of this volume is the overland communication, I decided to take out this extract. It lay idle while I was investigating the initial topics of my third project, the search for the maritime access to India from Europe. A not long time ago, I decided to insert this extract. 

I can't publish it now as I need to do another research which entails unavoidable corrections. Hopefully, I will upload it soon.

Meanwhile, my site https://independent.academia.edu/BaizermanMichael has attracted over five hundred readers; the good news obliges me to start writing a query letter for my second book. 

This blog has been honored by more than 2800 visits. Special thanks to my American and Ukrainian readers. I would be thankful for any comments. 

Where is the Heart of the World?

I downloaded another chapter from the second book, "The Enchanting Encounter with the East", on my site https://independent.academia.edu/BaizermanMichael 

 The extract tells about the location of Jerusalem on the European medieval mind maps. 

Jerusalem on the Madaba Map 

Courtesy: http://www.ancientpages.com/2017/06/16/stunning-madaba-map-oldest-known-mosaic-built-of-two-million-stone-cubes/ 

Throughout the late Middle Ages, Jerusalem functioned as the center of the inhabited world on contemporary 'world maps'. The article discloses various aspects of this spiritual vision which only intensifies after the crusaders' exile from the Holy Land. 

Pope Urban II launched the First Crusade. Saewulf and San Severino were the pilgrims who visited the Holy Land in the 12th and 15th centuries. They both shared the vision of Jerusalem as the navel of the world. 

Sir John Mandeville is a fictitious author of a 14th-century travelog. Prester John is a literary character who attracted European travelers across six centuries. 

Bernard of Clairvaux compared his monastery with the heavenly Jerusalem. 

Isidore of Seville considered the Holy City the center of the region; he seems to be in doubt about the center of the earth. 

Felix Fabri was involved in endless discussions about the centrality of Jerusalem. 

Christopher Columbus advocated a new crusade to restore the Christine dominion of Jerusalem. 

On May 28th I'm going to deliver a lecture about the origin of Israel. I analyze the Stele of Merneptah, the battle reliefs from the Karnak Temple, and the ongoing quest of the settlers in the central hill country during XIII-XI centuries BCE. The lecture will be held in Russian in the Science House at Tel-Aviv. 

How to Measure the Earth's Circumference

Hopefully, you are perfectly aware of it. However, back in time scholars would come up with educative guesses about the Earth's circumference.

This is the story of various evaluations. I made an effort to convert ancient measures into modern ones to show you the margin of deviation. To do this, I blend all the known samples of these measures into a 'consensus value', which is the average meaning. I refer to the stadium, Arab mile, and Roman mile. I mention Eratosthenes, Posidonius, Pierre d'Ailly, Ahmad Al-Farghani, and Christopher Columbus. 

You can read this story here https://independent.academia.edu/BaizermanMichael

This is the second chapter of my book, "The Enchanting Encounter with the East". You can also view chapter 1: What If the Earth is the Sphere.

My website gets attention from people around the world with more than 250 hits. I intend to continue uploading other parts of my second book.

Meanwhile, I decided to review my first book, "Dawn and Sunset". I research new info about the origin of the first cities in Mesopotamia.

I got a proposal to read a lecture about the Hyksos in a public hall in Tel Aviv. I am excited since it is going to be my first public appearance. I got interested in the Hyksos while looking for a theme to enlighten the history of ancient Israel. 

Several years ago, when I was working on the paper devoted to the origins of ancient Israel, I became convinced that the Israelites are part of the land of Canaan. In other words, Exodus is a terrific myth. 

Suddenly, I got the idea for my fourth project. I should start the history of ancient Israel not with the Stela of Merneptah but with the description of the Canaanites. One of the implications is the story of the Hyksos, the members of the Canaanite elite who rose to power in the Nile Delta. I am currently collecting material for this lecture. Wish me good luck. I really need it. 

How Wide Spans the Ocean Sea

Phoenician cargo ship 

Courtesy: https://wikis.engrade.com/phoenicianships 

My fourth chapter deals with the issue of the dimensions of the ocean and the perspectives of navigation in the Atlantic. 

I describe the voyages of ancient explorers from Egypt to West Africa (Sataspes, Hanno the Navigator) and from India to East Africa (Scylax).

I also recount the views on crossing the Atlantic expressed by philosophers (Aristotle, Eratosthenes, Posidonius, Strabo, Seneca, Pierre d'Ailly), mapmakers (Henricus Martellus, Martin Behaim), and navigators (Christopher Columbus).  The chapter is accompanied by the table, Estimation of the Breadth of the Ocean Sea.

This is an extract which refers to the voyage across Africa carried out by Phoenician mariners in the time of Pharaoh Necho:

The first expedition, commissioned by Pharaoh Necho, who reigned at the turn of the seventh and sixth centuries BCE, set a task of exploring the confines of the Dark Continent. The Phoenician mariners, who had staunch reputation for their seamanship, departed from a port on the Red Sea and after rounding the dry land made a return trip to Egypt via the Strait of Gibraltar. The food supply on board was enough for one year. To avoid starvation, the sailors had to rest on their oars twice to sow a crop of corn. Having picked up the harvest, they were able to move on forward until by the third year they had completed their heroic undertaking. The most intriguing part of the report was the observation of the sun traveling through the north across the right-left arc. The father of history slammed this testimony as too weird for his straightforward taste. (1)

This account suffers from many blunders. Since Herodotus does not allude to the source of this report, we cannot determine its trustworthiness. It is not clear what compelled the Egyptian monarch to launch this suicidal enterprise and why the Greek historian shares the pharaoh’s conviction in the possibility of the circumnavigation of Africa.

Besides, the modern reconstruction of Herodotus’ world view reveals that the “father of history” had a vague concept of the outline of the Dark Continent. Its southern fringe rounds the Atlas Mountains and stretches as far as the mouth of the Red Sea. Even this fictional voyage across the curtailed continent lasted nearly three years, demanding two landfalls and a lengthy lingering on the coast. 

Image 12: Reconstruction of Herodotus’ World View (2)  

The renowned author refuses to figure out the logistics involved in such venture. His description is too matter-of-fact and humdrum to be true. He neither explains how Phoenician ships could withstand daily tackling with unknown coastal currents and winds nor how they were able to overcome the solitude of a never ending voyage. He doesn’t report of their encounter with the natives and bizarre wildlife at sea or on land. He does not refer to any confrontation between the representatives of antagonistic cultures, though the temporary estrangement of agricultural land could not pass unnoticed by its lawful owners. Finally, except for the “perverted” sun, our historian finds no other remarkable astronomical phenomena in their account; and this particular scoop, proving that the explorers probably crossed the equator, he does deny.

Even the modern reconstruction of the journey does not supply any hard evidence. It is remarkable that a replica of a Phoenician ship rigged with a single square sail could withstand 20,000-mile voyage during two years. However, unlike ancient sailors, modern mariners knew their whereabouts and navigated their course, relying on the GPS and gleaning data from weather maps. They could sail all-year-round, even in winter, and consume foodstuffs purchased in local supermarkets. (3)