The End-of-the-Year Update (2021)

 Happy Christmas and New Year for you and your families,

As the second year of the coronavirus draws to an end, I am reviewing my work on a new project. 

I have made some corrections in Chapter 1, The Galley vs. the Round Ship, to make the comparison between the two breeds of watercraft less straightforward. I also continue collecting material for a second chapter about war galleys.

I think it was a good idea to split the narrative into two developments: that of the galley and that of the sailing ship. The description becomes more accurate and the trends more palatable. 

I restrict the narrative of galleys to the Mediterranean, excluding the Atlantic and the Baltic Sea.  I try to avoid overloading readers with too many details and focus on the main tendencies. I write for the general public, not for a handful of experts. 

I am planning to branch the story of Mediterranean galleys into two channels: about warships and merchantmen. These are two separate developments that are worth discrete storylines. 

I began compiling a special dictionary for the project to freshen the ideas and phrasing. 

My plans: After uploading the first four chapters of my third project, "Seeking Christians and Spices: The Quest for the Maritime Route to India" at https://independent.academia.edu/BaizermanMichael 

I am going to upload the remaining chapters of my second project, "The Enchanting Encounter with the East: Breaking the Ice between the Latin West and the Far East", offering each new paper for Discussions. It can take the entire year or a little bit more. I will check other options: uploading my papers on other sites in an attempt to draw an additional audience to my work. 

The Quest for the River of Gold

 The present paper completes Unit I of my third project, "Seeking Christians and Spices: The Quest for the Maritime Route to India". You may view the previous chapters on my author's page on the Academia site:

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

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

https://www.academia.edu/43517659/The_Rediscovered_Islands_European_Claims_to_the_Canaries

The popular trope associates the Late Middle Ages with the incessant strife of antagonistic faiths which took shape of a crusade and a jihad. My research calls this pervasive approach into question due to the presence of the restricted contingents of Latin Europeans on the southern shores of the Mediterranean. Giving an account for this phenomenon requires a new set of arguments. Religious fanaticism was not the only platform to drum up support for achieving one’s goals. The first part of the chapter focuses on the involvement of European mercenaries, merchants, and monks in the Maghrib. The second part deals with the vagaries of the Trans-Saharan trade. The third part treats the mythical aspect of West African geography, the Island of Gold, and a real group of go-betweens in the gold-for-salt trade.

You may read this chapter and take part in Discussions that I have just launched:

https://www.academia.edu/63196943/The_Quest_for_the_River_of_Gold

I made up my mind to quit this project for a while as what was supposed to be Unit II has developed into a separate venture dedicated to seafaring in the medieval and Renaissance Mediterranean. 

In the new year, I am going to upload the rest of the chapters from my second project, "The Enchanting Encounter with the East". Stay tuned! 

Meanwhile, I started a new blog, Michael Baizerman's Newsletter, where I posted my first entry, Presenting Myself: https://michaelbaizerman.substack.com/p/presenting-myself

where I speak about my four projects. 

The Rediscovered Islands: European Claims to the Canaries

After a short correspondence with the Academia site, I succeeded in uploading a renewed version of my article to Discussions. I consider this paper as a milestone on the road of my writing career. 

In August 2020, I learned that Academia launched a new option for its contributors, allowing them to upgrade each paper for Discussions. They send invitations to about 1K participants and all your fans to take part in the evaluation. It exposes your work to both experts and the general public. It attracts criticism and support. 

I decided to take all my previous articles through this process to realize my potential on this site. Now, after 16 months, I can report that the number of my readers has increased fivefold. I also had the chance to explain my position to other researchers.

This paper is my latest contribution. From now on, I will upload unknown articles, mostly from my manuscript, "The Enchanting Encounter with the East". 

 The present article looks into the medieval history of the Canary Islands from their rediscovery in the 1430s to European colonization in the course of the 15th and 16th centuries. The author puts an emphasis on the dark sides of the European intrusion, including ecological imperialism and genocide. You can read it https://www.academia.edu/43517659/The_Rediscovered_Islands_European_Claims_to_the_Canaries

as well as other articles on my page https://independent.academia.edu/BaizermanMichael

About my further plans: The evaluation of materials collected for the new project is underway. I am attempting to reconstruct the first chapter that compares and contrasts galleys and sailing ships. I also continue reading about medieval and renaissance galleys in the Mediterranean to focus on specific aspects of seafaring.

 

Merchant galleys (4)

 First of all, my lecture. Titled "The Place of Geography in the Medieval European Science", it met with moderate success. The audience was familiar, so I did not need to introduce myself. Based on three chapters from Unit I of my manuscript, "The Enchanting Encounter with the East", the lecture was accompanied by numerous illustrations and charts. The meat of the matter was to show that medieval conceptions were scientifically sound, prone to arguments, and in many cases inconclusive, i.e., requiring additional research. 

I am so happy to read accounts of maritime journeys for my current project. I have already got acquainted with the diaries of Felix Fabri and Pietro Casola and now I am studying the report submitted by Roberto da Sanseverino. The last one is the most productive since its author has a deep understanding of navigation problems. Besides, the editor, Vidoni, presents and explains entangled issues to my satisfaction. Pietro Casola, 

I have other names on my reading list. I need to check whether they are relevant or not for my research. I mean, if they are translated into English and add notable data to my growing database. After checking these names, I can resume reversing the collected material and weigh my chances to make a good story. I want to remind you that I had prepared the early version of this chapter about seven years ago. This is about a complete reversal of the previous work. This time, it will be a new manuscript, where advances in navigation serve to explain which needs they attempted to meet and to what extent they were successful. I think I will be able to debunk a few trends of conventional wisdom. I will continue my story to include the sixteenth century, i.e., to cover the medieval and the Renaissance periods. 

I recently got a negative response from a literary agent, whom I asked to represent my manuscript, "The Enchanting Encounter with the East". He gave a positive comment on my work as an amateur enthusiast but added that editors prefer to deal with the leaders in the field. I suddenly understood my uniqueness as a writer. My work does not aim at the scientific community only. I also address the general audience. I discuss the ideas and make suggestions. And often deliver the proofs. The thought that the "leading experts" can cover the entire topic is absurd and hampers scientific research which is based on checking and rechecking  every opinion and hypothesis. The more choice the reader or listener has the better. My piece of luck is that the Internet gives me a chance to appeal to readers above the head of strict editors and severe literary agents. 

 

Merchant Galleys (3)

 I am still reviewing my notes about merchant galleys. I began to understand how things worked in  medieval society and what happened in the Renaissance when a marvelous system of merchant convoys faded. Apart from freight galleys, I check my observations about war fleets, pick up examples to be studied in detail and develop new ways of presenting the facts for further comparison. 

I found a serious shortfall in my work: my unfamiliarity with genuine maritime travel accounts about seafaring across the Mediterranean during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. I began to trace these materials and their English translations. Meanwhile, I have found Pietro Casola's Traveling to Jerusalem and am going to make good use of it. As far as I understand, Pietro sailed on a pilgrim galley in 1494. 

The academia.edu site offered me to be their reviewer. That means that I have to recommend scientific articles and books to be presented on the site. Each researcher receives a list of recommended reading in his field and my recommendations will be part of it. 

 I am going to continue re-editing my article "Rediscovered Islands". I have not decided yet whether to upload parts as draft copies (as I did with "The Priority of Discovery", which is part 1 of the whole or to alter the entire paper and offer it for Discussion. 

I have achieved my goal concerning the exposure on the Academia site. I have over 5 K readers now. I still think that my potential is larger but now I have to prove it through meticulous labor by re-editing my uploaded articles and writing new ones. You can help me reach my next goal. 

I remind that my papers appear on my personal page 

https://independent.academia.edu/BaizermanMichael 

where I can offer 26 articles. The number remains because I wanted to promote discussion on my already uploaded accounts. I hope that I can contribute more papers soon. 

The Priority of the Discovery: European Claims to the Canary Islands

 As I have promised, I returned to my publishing activity in September. This time, I uploaded a new version of my article and offered it to Discussion on the Academia. 

It is the first part of my longer paper, The Rediscovered Islands. The subtitle makes clear that the author covers the history of the Canary Islands in the 14th century. 

The Little Age of Discovery (14th century) starts with the controversial uncovering of the Canary Islands. Without delay, the curia laid claims to dominion over the new enclave. However, the kings of Portugal and Castile had second thoughts about the sovereignty. The author refers to the portolan charts and travelogues of the trecento to prove the cautious expansion and dissemination of the geographic lore.

Yes, the Canaries presented the first stepping stone ushering the Little Age of Discovery. I call the discovery controversial since it is still unclear who discovered each of the seven populated islands. I guess, in 1341 the Portuguese had mapped the entire archipelago; however, the first islands, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, were visited during the 1330s, probably by another expedition dispatched by the same king, Afonso IV dubbed The Brave. 

One can trace the further history of the Little Age of Discovery comparing  contemporary portolans and travelogues, such as the Libro de Conocimiento. The last source mentions about 25 Atlantic Islands, most of them bearing modern names, suggesting that during the latter part of the 14th century Madeira and the Azores had been sighted and mapped. A Castilian friar, the purported author of the travel account, was an armchair globetrotter, with an eye for maps and coats of arms. 

This extract belongs to my third project describing the quest for the maritime route from Europe to the Indies. You can view the paper https://www.academia.edu/51337940/The_Priority_of_the_Discovery_European_Claims_to_the_Canary_Islands 

I intend to upload other extracts in the coming months. Meanwhile, I continue reviewing the data about transport galleys. 

Merchant Galleys (2)

 I have passed to a new stage of developing the collected data concerning medieval galleys. It will also take a great amount of time since I need to reread many pages and meanwhile I receive new articles and books. I feel that I am better prepared to address the subject and I think that besides ships and seafaring it will be good to show the life of people in the European Middle Ages and Renaissance. 

Last Monday, I delivered a lecture on zoom for the participants of the History Club. I built the speech titled "The Place of Geography in the European Middle Ages: Mathematical Geography on the Eve of the Age of Discoveries" on the first three chapters of my manuscript, "The Enchanting Encounter with the East: Breaking the Ice between the Latin West and the Far East". You can read those extracts 

https://www.academia.edu/39779482/What_If_the_Earth_is_the_Sphere

https://www.academia.edu/39924577/How_to_Measure_the_Earths_Circumference

https://www.academia.edu/39993075/How_Long_Spans_the_Inhabited_World

Some listeners wanted to read the entire book. I explained that unfortunately, it is unpublished though I downloaded 14 chapters out of 29 on my page on the Academia site

https://independent.academia.edu/BaizermanMichael?from_navbar=true

The rest will appear throughout the next year. The chairman of the meeting suggested that I should publish my articles on their institute's site. I am checking this opportunity.  

I am preparing an extract from a new book for Academia Letters, a new journal for researchers. The passage concerns the comparison between galleys and sailing ships. The topic was presented many times but I hope to have found a new approach. My last attempt was rejected because I attached an illustration from Wikipedia. Somehow the editors did not like it. I learned my lesson: no photos! I am hopeful that they will send me reviews from other contributors and I will see if I can count on publication. 

Beyond the Pillars of Hercules

My old paper is about the significance of free shipping through the Strait of Gibraltar and its impact on the rise of the West during the "Little Age of Discovery" (late 13th century - 14 century). The article has been modified,  re-edited, and offered for Discussion. You can view it https://www.academia.edu/42166248/Beyond_the_Pillars_of_Hercules

as well as read my other 25 articles on the author's page https://independent.academia.edu/BaizermanMichael?from_navbar=true

The Strait of Gibraltar received a bad name because of precarious conditions for navigation and the Muslim blockade of the Christian vessels. The convenient ports of the Strait--Algeciras, Gibraltar, and Tarifa--were unavailable for rival ships. Castile's persistent struggle for the takeover of these havens went on and off for over two hundred years. Meanwhile, the Genoese mariners had signed special agreements with the Berber authorities and ventured into the Atlantic, making way to North Europe and West Africa.

I have also modified my profile on the Academia page concerning my status, achievements, and plans.

I have nearly completed my plan to offer my previous articles for Discussions. Most of them are taken from my manuscript "The Enchanting Encounter with the East" and from another project about the search for the maritime route to India. There is only one paper left. From September 2021, I am going to upload new articles.

 I received an invitation to read a lecture based on my articles about medieval geography. The lecture will be delivered in Russian by zoom for the Historical club in Israel on August 16th. It is based on the first three chapters of my second book:

1) What if the Earth is the Sphere?

2) How to Measure the Earth's Circumference?

3) How Long Spans the Inhabited World?

All these papers with illustrations are available on my author's page on the Academia.

Have a nice time. Stay tuned. I wish you good health in those troubled times.

How Wide Spans the Ocean Sea

The maiden paper of my third project is available in a slightly modified version 

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

It is open for discussion for approximately two weeks, and everybody is invited. The piece includes two parts: The Heated Argument with Herodotus and The Vigorous Controversy with Columbus. The first section discusses Herodotus' accounts of ocean-going voyages; the second one analyses the cartographic knowledge of the 15th century in Europe and traces the reason for Columbus' blunder concerning the extent of the western route to India.

It is worth reminding that this chapter is part of Unit I titled "The Little Age of Discovery", which comprises three additional chapters: Beyond the Pillars of Hercules, The Rediscovered Islands, and The Quest for the River of Gold. I have not downloaded the last section. I plan to offer the previous pieces for discussion during the summer. My articles manage to draw much attention among the readers, and I hope to hit my next goal, 5K views, very soon.

Meanwhile, I am collecting data for a new chapter of my fourth project, "The Anguish and Thrill of Navigation." The extract deals with the development of commercial galleys. I'd like to trace the approach of the Venetians, the Genoese, the Catalans, and the Turks. 

Alexander at the Caspian Gates

 This is a slightly modified version of my paper. It belongs to Unit IV of my manuscript, "The Enchanting Encounter with the East". 

Unit IV follows the footsteps of Alexander the Macedon, to be more exact, it traces the birth and development of medieval Alexander legend. The invincible warrior was inscribed with the erection of the impassable barrier, sometimes called the wall or the gate, blocking the mountain passage. This long-term roadblock will be breached by unlawful tribes ushering in the Last Days. 

The current paper focuses on the early development of the legend. It has just been offered for Discussions and you are welcome to participate.

The myth of the Caspian Gates was modeled on Alexander the Macedon's pursuit of his rival, the Persian emperor. Due to the nodding acquaintance with Asian geography, the storytellers switched the venue from the Iranian Gates to the Caucasus. The Macedonian military genius was considered the right person to erect an impenetrable barrier on the way of barbarian hordes braced for smashing the Hellenistic ideal of the civilized world. 

Tags: Alexander the Great, Pliny the Elder, Josephus Flavius, Plutarch, Ai Khanoum

I also began to review my findings for the Mediterranean Seafaring project. Meanwhile, I check details on shipborne artillery on board medieval galleys and try to identify new data on commercial galleys and seafaring routes both across the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. I am also going to compare the great galleys of Venice, Genoa, Florence, and Catalonia as well as to trace the brief age of the galleass.

My dream is one day to research the history of ancient Israel. As a preparation for this goal, I took the online course "The Bible's Prehistory, Purpose, and Political Future" offered by Dr. Jacob L. Wright from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. 

I wish you good help and stamina to traverse this turbulent period of the pandemic.

 

The Bible's Prehistory, Purpose, and Political Future

The Bible's Prehistory, Purpose, and Political Future

Merchant Galleys (1)

 

By Konrad Grünenberg - http://digital.blb-karlsruhe.de/id/7061, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19285559

A Venetian three-masted galley delivers pilgrims to the Holy Land, 1486/7

This week I have been collecting data about merchant galleys in the Mediterranean for chapter 3 of my new project. 

I found an old article by W.B. Watson, The Structure of the Florentine galley trade with Flanders and England in the 15th century. Revue belge de Philologue et d'Histoire, 1961, 39-4. It speaks about the trips of Florentine galleys to north-western Europe during the 16th century. The author claims that there was a trade disbalance between incoming merchandise and local products. 

I reread F.C. Lane's book, "Venetian Ships and Shipbuilders of the Renaissance". (Borodino Books, 2018), especially the chapter devoted to merchant galleys with an extensive citation from Fabri's account about the pilgrimage to the Holy Land. 

I looked through E. Bradford's book, "The Great Siege: Malta, 1565". It does add anything about commercial galleys and even speaks little about the galley war but the topic has interested me since I visited Malta. I realized that the Knights of St. John were aided by the local population even if there were previous tensions between them. 

Next week, I will check some more books and then compare new data with the draft chapter written about 7 years ago. Now and then, I pick up novel info or fresh expressions that can help improve my previous chapters. That's why I decided to compose notes toward the end of the project when most of the corrections will be well underway. 

The Slender Giants of the Wine-Dark Sea (1)

 

I am still undecided about the plan to write a new book. Meanwhile, things are getting into a groove. 

Whether a book in its virtue or a unit in a volume, it will be titled "The Anguish and Thrill of Navigation". I may add a subtitle emphasizing that the topic concerns plying the medieval Mediterranean. I have chosen an epigraph from Eustache Deschamps, a 14th- century French poem. His extract claims that landlubbers, no matter how they are proficient in globetrotting have no idea about the hardships of sea travel. 

The prototype of the project is based on a string of articles written in 2014-2015 for my second manuscript, "The Enchanting Encounter with the East". However, these papers were excluded from the final draft since the book deals with land travels rather than seafaring. A new, extended version of these essays makes them awkward to use in my third project, which focuses on the Age of Discovery. On the other hand, my current project is too significant to cut it short and restrict myself to a few technological notes. 

Chapter 1, The Long Ship versus Round Ship is more or less ready, though it may endure a few minor changes. 

Chapter 2, The Slender Giants of the Wine-Dark Sea is nearly ready. It will comprise four parts: 

• Light galleys
• The Monster Galley
• The Intricacies of the Naval Warfare
• The Shipborne Artillery 

I am currently developing the last section, though I have to decide what to do with a hill of bits and pieces which may become part of the first two chapters. 

Last but not least. I have recently read the article "Mysterious Mound in Syria May Be Oldest War Memorial in the World, Archaeologists Say", 

https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/.premium-mysterious-mound-in-syria-may-be-oldest-war-memorial-in-the-world-1.9850752

where the writer advocates that four-wheeled battle cars of the III millennium BCE could turn if a warrior would leap on an extended board, making the carriage stand on its back wheels and enabling the driver to shift the direction of a team of donkeys dragging it. I shared my amazement with a friend, a retired engineer. I was right, the idea sucks. Imagine the force needed in this case, the strenuous effort needed to drive the donkeys in the seconds when part of the "car" will be in the air, the danger to spoil the wheels, and the possibility that the carе will turn over.

I thought that it was a journalist's blunder but then I checked a scientific article, https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/their-corpses-will-reach-the-base-of-heaven-a-thirdmillennium-bc-war-memorial-in-northern-mesopotamia/664312804723289D33D9D5CA2E32D1C2

where archeologists subscribe to the same idea. I was stunned! And you?

The Swansong of the Mongol Thrust

 This is the resume of my paper, The Swanson of the Mongol Thrust.

https://www.academia.edu/41372103/The_Swansong_of_the_Mongol_Thrust

The Mongol Empire is on the brink of war with Egypt. Eljigidei, the Mongol military governor in the eastern Mediterranean, is making overtures to Louis IX of France concerning the assistance in the struggle against the mutual enemy. The Muslim warfare on two fronts, against the Mongols and the Latin Christians, leads to the rise of the Mamluks. The Il-khan Hulegu resumes a proposal, suggesting that King Louis would stage a naval blockade of Egypt in support of the ground assault of the Mongols. Meanwhile, the Mongol Empire starts to crumble. The paper ends with an overview of the relations between the Mongols and the Franks. The idea of the combined crusade was buried in the sands of history.

This is the final chapter of Unit III of my manuscript, The Enchanting Encounter with the East". The two previous chapters have been recently reviewed and reedited. You can view them

https://www.academia.edu/40613981/The_Squall_from_the_East

https://www.academia.edu/40815844/The_Suspension_Bridge_across_the_Abyss

I have forwarded most of my previous studies (from the above-mentioned manuscript) to Discussions (at the Academia.edu site). I am receiving very valuable reviews, suggestions, and criticism. What I don't understand is Academia's way of counting my readership. According to my page, my last paper has about 70 views. However, when I counted a list of viewers, the number has to be more than twice that number. Three days ago, I checked the total statistics. The gap was more than 600 views. I have come to the conclusion that the current numbers are misleading and in reality, the list of my readers is approaching 4 K. This is very encouraging and I hope that my potential is even higher. 

My current project about medieval ships is in full swing. I am developing the stuff about shipborne artillery on galleys. I am still not sure whether it would be part of a chapter on galleys or a few paragraphs. The extent of the current chapter is so vast that I begin to think that my project may develop into a separate manuscript. At first, it was designed as Unit II of my third manuscript about the discovery of the maritime route from Western Europe to India. Apart from the abundance of the material, there is much data about types of ships that played no role in the Age of Discovery, for example, galleys, both light and great. The specifics of the technology of seafaring may complicate the story of exploration. 

I began collecting data for my next project about the history of Ancient Israel. What interests me now can be dubbed Canaan in Egypt, i. e. the reference to the Canaanite immigrants to Egypt in archaeological, pictorial, and written sources. From this background, I will try to develop the story about the Hyksos rule in Egypt. 

Big plans! I hope that at least some of them will come true. 

The Squall from the East

 This is my latest contribution to the Discussions section on the Academia site.

The Mongol invasion of Central Europe in 1241-1242 took the western leaders aback. Gruesome and spine-chilling, the victorious campaign of the steppe army sent shock waves across the continent. That was a powerful lesson that the Latin decision-makers would never forget. The campaign is assessed in terms of its strategic goals and viewed through the eyes of survivors. The author supplies several factors explaining the momentous withdrawal of the winners from the occupied territories.

You may read the article https://www.academia.edu/40613981/The_Squall_from_the_East

I also uploaded another extract where I attempt to cover the diplomatic correspondence between Great Khan Guyuk and Pope Innocent IV.  

The paper explores the attempt of the Apostolic See to keep an eye on the Mongols after their disastrous campaign against Central Europe. The Holy Father forwarded epistles to talk some sense into steppe predators and coax them into baptism. The Great Khans, in their turn, took advantage of bilateral relations to convince the Vicar of Christ and all European kings to submit to the Tartars. The dialogue between the blind and the deaf failed but managed to buy critical time. 

You may peruse it https://www.academia.edu/40815844/The_Suspension_Bridge_across_the_Abyss

I am waiting for an answer from the Academia Letters, a new journal where they publish short articles on multiple topics. I sent them a new piece, The Monster Galley, the story of a quinquereme, a five-oared galley designed by an amateur naval architect Vettor Fausto. This is part of my new project about medieval watercraft. I am still working on the section devoted to galleys. I have written a draft of the first two chapters and am developing the material focused on naval guns. The last chapter will center on merchant galleys. 

I hope that in the late summer- early fall I will upload a few chapters of my third project. 

The Enigma of the Antipodes

 About three weeks ago, I uploaded a new version of my article "The Enigma of the Antipodes" for Discussions on academia.edu. This is the concluding chapter of Unit II of my manuscript, "The Enchanting Encounter with the East". You may view this extract 

https://www.academia.edu/40346434/The_Enigma_of_the_Antipodes

as well as enjoy reading the rest of my 20 something papers that represent the three projects. 

The paper explores a strand of medieval geography concerning the Antipodes, the legendary fourth continent of the European Middle Ages. It plunges the readers into a scholastic debate, presenting opposite sides. The arguments become intense and controversial on the eve of the Age of Exploration. This is a famous mappamundi featuring the Sciapod, a fantastic one-legged creature living and breathing in the Antipodes. 

 

Burgo de Osma Mappamundi

Courtesy: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Mappa_mundi_of_Burgo_de_Osma_Beatus#/media/File:Beato_de_Liebana_Burgo_de_Osma_1086.jpg 

The discussion is going to end very soon and I am up to upload the next extract of my second project, which is the starting chapter of Unit III: Unveiling the Alien. I will add some details about this paper after I complete the revision. 

I got in touch with a group of scientists who encourage people to deliver lectures on zoom. They are going to start a history club and I will give a lecture on Sumerian civilization next Monday at 18:30 Jerusalem time to a Russian-speaking audience. 

I continue to read papers on ancient Canaan in an attempt to identify the origin of the early Hebrews. One of them is Tommy Beyl's dissertation, "Phoenicia: Identity and Geopolitics in the Iron I-II A period: An examination of the textual, archaeological, and Biblical Evidence". 

 

Textual, Archaeological, and Biblical Evidence

In Black and White: Racial Prejudices in the European Middle Ages

 I uploaded a new version of this article on my Academia page. You can view it https://www.academia.edu/40219335/In_Black_and_White_Racial_Prejudices_in_the_European_Middle_Ages

You can also read the previous chapters, The Trefoil of the World and Jerusalem on European Mind Maps.

See  https://independent.academia.edu/BaizermanMichael

"In Black and White" is open for discussions for 2 weeks from now. If you would like to comment later, you can do it either here, on my blog or my site. Here is the abstract:

Intolerance to nonwhites harks back to the Early Middle Ages; it takes root in a new faith, the alive and kicking Christianity which spreads across the known world. The advocates of the novel ideology strive to defend it against ubiquitous paganism. They make up a pseudo-biological race theory that adopted the principles of Eurocentrism and the superiority of the west. This teaching, which we call here the “racial fiction”, associates blackness with sin.
Black people that disgusted medieval Europeans in terms of physical unattractiveness occupied the remote pockets of the inhabited world. Their character and behavior seemed ecologically determined; the denizens of the outback were prone to physical weakness and exhaustion at an early age. Besides, these outlandish areas were considered to host all and sundry monsters.

The blackness also epitomized moral degradation and wantonness. The supposed low status and irrational behavior of non-white residents would justify their enslavement by the “enlightened” European colonizers. 

A bleak period in which amorality climbs over the bodies of moral principles, while remorse is treated as human weakness and ugliness of soul. 

Other news. I am still collecting info about galleys, both galea sottile (warships) and great galleys in the Mediterranean. I am particularly interested in naval artillery which began to take great strides during the Late Middle Ages and Early Modern era. 

A galley gun from Malta Maritime Museum, which was mounted on a carriage and slid over the runners. 

   https://www.modelships.de/Museums_and_replicas/Malta_Maritime_Museum/Galley-gun.htm

I also returned to the Late Chalcolithic age checking the evidence of social inequality, the emergence of the elites, amassing the capital, and long-distance trade. These are the topics from my first book, "Dawn and Sunset: A Tale of the Oldest Cities in the Near East". Only this time I will nuance my approach and make it more comprehensible.  

My Writing Goals

 

Courtesy: https://www.wikihow.com/Set-Writing-Goals 

It's high time to set up my writing goals to show my strategy.

I would like to continue developing my site at the Academia: see https://independent.academia.edu/BaizermanMichael

I intend to expose the articles from my second and third books on Discussions. By the way, you can view the paper on the current discussion, which will end in a week  

https://www.academia.edu/45063380/Jerusalem_on_European_Mind_Maps

I have started collecting materials for the next chapter from my third book; it is devoted to light and great galleys. I will try to explain why the long-lived  Age of the Galleys on the Mediterranean was coming to the end and what efforts were undertaken to prolong it. 

I am going to extend my blog and keep in contact with my readers. Building a platform is a multi-year enterprise and I hope you will assist me in these efforts. 

I will look for additional opportunities, like giving lectures and publishing. You will know the details if I am successful. 

I strongly believe in what I am doing. I am mastering my research skills to find unconventional topics or still unpopular sides of the familiar subjects. I am honing my writing skills to convey to my readers the best content that I can produce. I am not chasing popularity but hope you will find my articles authentic and entertaining to a certain extent. 

I find it difficult to speak about myself in length before the public. I feel I am not the subject of my writing but an instrument through which new wine is poured in old wineskins. I bet it is possible and maybe I know how to do it. 

Galleys versus Sailing Ships: Plying the Waters of the Medieval Mediterranean

 

Venetian War Galley, late sixteenth century

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/511721576383894517/

Genoese Merchant Vessel

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/313915036504583191/

The first chapter of a new unit compares and contrasts galleys and sailing ships negotiating maritime routes in the medieval Mediterranean. It discusses shipbuilding approaches and the diet of seafarers. The paper is based on my previous version penned about seven years ago but sustained major corrections. Due to personal reasons, I will keep the draft intact but I cannot help uploading the first page for you. 

A curious landlubber gazing at the sea could discern with ease two broad types of watercraft hugging the coast: oared vessels (galleys) and sailing ships. These breeds epitomized the unabated contest between seaworthiness and speed.

Oared vessels were born for speed and doomed to fight; not for nothing tags like "dromon" (Greek: "racer") in Byzantium and "sagitta" (Latin: "arrow") in the West stuck to them. Endowed with a cigar-like body and shallow draft, which rendered them minimum water resistance, galleys boasted of their built-in velocity.  When the hull was normally laden, the freeboard amidships could descend as low as half a meter. A Byzantine chronicler mocks at Sicilian triremes at the outbound voyage from a successful raid, claiming that they were so overloaded with trophies that literally "submerged down to the oars". 

Routinely propelled by wind, which would inflate fore-and-aft sails, galleys switched to sweeps in standard situations, when they were becalmed or had to get in or out of the port, or in emergencies, to avoid running aground or encountering reefs, rocks, or shallows. They also took to oars when tempo and maneuverability were counted, for example in maritime engagements, coastal raids, or transportation of diplomatic missions. The use of human power imparted remarkable freedom of movement to their banana-shaped bodies.  

Galleys were discerned by the number of rowing seats on a bank of oars, by and large, from one to three, known as monoremes, biremes, and triremes. The experiments of naval architects with four and five sweeps did not give polyremes a competitive edge over less crowded models.

In contrast to their mobility, longships were mediocre and capricious sailers. Traveling under canvas to preserve muscle power, they made the most of the sail under the wind astern and at flat seas but found fault with an air current stronger than a light breeze.

Long-hulled warships could make a good headway, cutting coastal waves at ease on short stretches of sea travel and under favorable conditions. However, when confronted even with mild winds, they performed badly and would withdraw from the race on the brink of storms. The galley masters would rather linger away the foul weather in the comfort of taverns than put the craft's safety at risk. 

Jerusalem on European Mind Maps

 This is a new version of my article that is taken from my second manuscript, "The Enchanting Encounter with the East". The paper studies the role of Jerusalem in the European Middle Ages. I draw on medieval travelogues, "world maps", and modern research. You are invited to read the draft and leave comments in the Discussions section.

https://www.academia.edu/45063380/Jerusalem_on_European_Mind_Maps

It might take a few hours until my contribution is converted so don't be in a hurry. Discussions are open for 3 weeks.

I have started writing the first chapter of Unit II of my third manuscript. It is called Galleys versus Sailing Ships: Plying the Waters of the Medieval Mediterranean. Here, I would like to compare and contrast the two types of medieval craft. I have nearly completed three sections out of five or six: galleys, sailing ships, pros & cons. I will add a few words about shipbuilding technology in the medieval Mediterranean as well as about sailors' diet. There will be the Bottom Line where I will rationalize my findings in contrast with describing them. 

https://www.naval-encyclopedia.com/medieval-ships/

The Trefoil of the World

I continue to make facelifts to my uploaded papers. This time, it is a chapter from Unit II of my second manuscript, "The Enchanting Encounter with the East". 

You can view it https://www.academia.edu/40051105/The_Trefoil_of_the_World

The article is presented to the discussion on the Academia site in the nearest three weeks. You are invited to take part in. I would appreciate any comment and would do my best to reply. 

The paper describes the evolution of the mappae mundi, the "world maps" of the medieval imagination. Across the centuries, this medium had upgraded from simple schemes depicting the tripartite inhabited earth to more elaborate designs, which incorporated the Ptolemy vision or reflected current geographic discoveries and married with sea charts. The medieval world of the sacred and profane hangs in front of our eyes.

Meanwhile, I finished estimating materials concerning my paper about medieval shipping. The article will compare a galley and a sailing ship. This is the first chapter of a new series that is intended for my third manuscript. Now I need to compare my draft version with the new stuff unearthed and partially developed. 

Self-presentation

 Happy New Year to you all!

May it be the year of recovery from the coronavirus. 

Following the advice from the Writer's Digest, I will start this entry with the self-presentation.

Name Michael Baizerman. This is my real name retained for the literary market.

Skills: nonfiction writer, amateur historian, Internet researcher, and blogger. 

Social Media Platform: Facebook, Twitter

URL: https://independent.academia.edu/BaizermanMichael

This is the website where I download my research papers. I have currently stopped adding new articles since I would like to use a new Discussions section on the site to present my previous works for discussions, boost my readership and converse with colleagues. Meanwhile, I keep this avenue open for chapters of my second manuscript. 

http://mikebis.blogspot.com/

This is my blog, a writer's diary, where I share what is happening behind the scenes. 

Accomplishments:

I have self-published my first book, "Dawn and Sunset: A Tale of the Oldest Cities in the Near East". It tells the story of the earliest urban communities on earth that mushroomed in Mesopotamia throughout the fourth and third millennia BCE. The study of Sumerian society teaches a lesson about our times as the roots of modern civilization have grown from that setting. I research various aspects of the ancient city-state: its religion, administration, bureaucracy, agriculture, arts & crafts, foreign trade, laws, social classes, and warfare.

I have completed the manuscript of my second book, "The Enchanting Encounter with the East". It is about the acceptance of the bizarre Eastern mentality by the Latin West during the Late Middle Ages. Many chapters are already available on the website and open for discussion. For example, this week I expect my readers to comment on my paper, "How Long Spans the Inhabited World". 

I have started working on the second part of my third project, about the need to find a maritime route from Europe to India during the fifteenth century. I have a gut feeling that the work will cover more than one volume. 

Interests: writing, reading, exploring, watching. 

In a nutshell: I am an amateur historian and Internet researcher who specializes in writing nonfiction history.